Pokemon Academy: A New Dawn
by Legacy918
Summary: Join Alex and Mark for their first year at Pokemon Academy, where they will catch and train pokemon and meet new people. AU and a combination of anime and game characters. Accepting OC's. Pairings: OCxSkyla, OCxJasmine, a little VolknerxElesa. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: A New Year

**Pokémon Academy**

**Hello everyone! I've been having this idea in my head about Pokemon Academy, a place where young trainers from all over the Pokemon World can learn more about Pokemon and hone their skills as trainers. If you guys like this story and review, I will continue it. Without further ado, let's do the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I wish I did.**

**Chapter 1: A New Year**

"Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh! This is gonna' be the best day of my life! Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh! My life! This is gonna' be the best day of my life! My life!" The fourteen year old boy sang along to his favorite song as he packed his toiletries into his red travelling bag. It was only 7:00 in the morning and he played upbeat music to keep himself awake and focused. The boy pushed down hard on the bag to squeeze all of its contents inside and quickly zipped it up. He slumped over the bag tired from all the packing but looked up when he heard knocking on the door.

At the door way stood a tall woman with long brown hair, hazel eyes, and light skin smiling at the boy. "You all packed, Alex?"

The boy stood up smiling and responded, "Yeah, mom!" Alex was wearing a light gray T-shirt under an unbuttoned red flannel with black cuffs and collar, khaki jeans, red Converse, and a red and white cap. He was five foot nine and had short brown hair, emerald green eyes, and rosy cheeks. His mother's smile faded away as she looked at her son. Her oldest child was going away to a school thousands of miles away and she couldn't help but tearing up a bit. A look of concern appeared on Alex's face as he walked over to his mother and gave her a hug. "It's alright mom, this is going to be great!" He put a smile on to comfort his mother and it seemed to work and as genuinely excited as he was, there was a part of Alex that was nervous. He didn't know what to expect especially since his new school was on an island in the middle of the ocean. Alex was born and raised in the Kanto region where he decided that he wanted to become the Kanto champion. Pokemon Academy was on an island called Academy Island which was almost two-hundred miles off the coast of the Unova Region.

Alex's father came through the hall and said, "Hey Alex, you ready to go?"

Alex and his mother pulled apart so he could say, "Yeah dad. Just gotta' load the car."

"I'll give you a hand." Alex's mother made way as her son and husband carried the luggage out of the room.

The morning air caused Alex to shiver. He could even see the fog coming from his breath. Alex and his father quickly loaded the car just as his mother approached them with his little sisters, Jamie and Jocelyn. "Are we dropping off Alex now?" asked Jamie.

Their father nodded, "Yeah. We need to take him to the airport."

"Make sure to send us pictures of the pokemon you get over there!" Jocelyn exclaimed.

Alex smiled at his ten-year-old sister and nodded. "Yeah…I'll make sure to send a pic of my very first pokemon as soon as I get it." His sisters smiled back at him and his father put a hand on his shoulder letting him know that it was time to go. The family got into the car and drove to the airport. Alex's mother and sisters waited with the car but the tall woman made sure to give her son a goodbye hug and kiss. She cried as she saw her son and husband walk through the automatic doors with the boy's luggage. Alex and his father finished loading the bags and they looked at each other.

His father spoke first. "I want you to have a great time at that school. And make sure you put studies before girls. I'm not letting you stay over there if you bring back D's and F's."

Alex chuckled slightly and responded, "Okay dad, I'll make sure to do good."

His father smiled, "I know you will. I know you'll become a great trainer."

Alex returned the smile and nodded, "Thanks, dad." The two hugged and with that, Alex made his way to the plane. Once in his seat, he plugged in his earphones and looked out the window both excited and nervous to get to Pokémon Academy.

Seven and a half hours later, the plane landed and the speaker said, "We have just arrived in Academy Island Airport. Please collect your personal belongings and exit the plane. Have a nice day." It was almost 4:00 when Alex gathered all of his luggage. Before leaving Vermillion City, he had received an email from the Pokémon Academy saying that there would be a bus waiting outside the building to take students to the school. Alex made his way outside and immediately found the bus because there was a man standing in front of it carrying a sign that said "Pokémon Academy." The man wore a white lab coat over a light purple shirt and light brown slacks. His hair was gray and he had a slight smile on his face.

Alex approached the man and the older gentleman said, "Hello there, are you going to Pokémon Academy?"

"Yes sir."

"Fantastic! I am Professor Oak. What's yours?"

"It's an honor to meet you Professor! I've heard so much about you! I'm Alex Arceo."

"It's good to meet you too, Alex. Can I see your student I.D.?"

Alex reached for his wallet and took out his I.D. With that, Professor Oak allowed Alex to load his luggage and board the bus. The bus was to leave at 4:00 so it was almost full. He searched for a seat and found one next to a boy with tan skin and brown hair. Alex asked, "Hey is this seat available?"

"Sure is!" With that, Alex sat down next to the other boy.

"I'm Alex, what's your name?"

The other boy gave Alex a friendly smile and responded, "Nice to meet you, I'm Brock." The bus started moving and made its way out of the airport.

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from Kanto. What about you?"

"No way! I'm from Kanto too! Vermillion City!"

"Really?! I'm from Pewter City!"

"That's awesome! Huh, guess we'll be meeting lots of students from different regions."

"Yeah. What year are you?"

"I'm a first year. What about you?"

"This is going to be my second year."

"Really?! So what's the school like?"

"Well it's this huge campus with dorms, big classrooms, a pokemon habitat enclosure, a main stadium, some smaller arenas, and a dining hall with delicious food from all over the world. As for the schedule, there's five forty minute classes that are on a rotation schedule so the last class you take for the day is the first class you take the next day. There's also curfew every day at 10:00 in the evening. We get weekends off and are allowed to go into the city as long as we are back by 10:00 on Sunday which is great because there are so many things to do. There's a city on this island with all sorts of stores and places to eat, a pokemon reserve, and an amusement park.

"Wow! This island really does have everything!"

The boys kept talking until the bus stopped in what seemed to be a quad and the students were shuffled out to grab their luggage. Professor Oak was speaking, "When you're done getting your luggage, go find your counselors who are sitting at those tables over there." He pointed in the direction he wanted the students to look and continued speaking, "There, you will check in and receive your room keys so that you can leave your luggage in your rooms. The counselors have a roster with their students' names and they are seated in alphabetical order of last name of the students. Be back here by 5:30 so we can all eat in the grand hall."

Alex saw the students around him walk over to the counselors but they all stopped when a black limousine pulled into the quad. The front door opened to reveal an elderly gentleman wearing a white dressing shirt with a black vest and black slacks. He walked to the back door and opened it to reveal a beautiful girl with short blond hair, pale skin, and icy blue eyes. She wore a spaghetti strap yellow shirt with black stripes, black tights, and yellow heels. Alex stared at the golden haired beauty as she walked to the counselor tables ignoring all the attention.

"Brock…" Alex began, "Who's that?" He didn't get a response. "Brock?" He turned to see Brock drooling over the girl and a dazzling gleam in his eyes.

Completely infatuated, Brock carelessly responded, "That's Elesa, she's a supermodel from the Unova region."

"Super model huh?" _No wonder she's got so many admirers_.

"Yeah…" Snapping out of his trance, Brock stopped staring at Elesa and turned to face Alex. "It's too bad that she has a boyfriend.

_Crap baskets_. "Well it's not surprising seeing as how she's so beautiful."

"Yeah, practically every guy at this school has his eye on her."

Alex stayed quiet for a second before asking, "So should we go check in?"

Brock nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Hey do you want to sit together during the welcoming feast after we put our stuff in our rooms?"

Brock walked off into the crowd of students leaving Alex with nothing to do but check in. The counselors sat at tables cloaked in white cloth with a large poster facing outwards with two letters separated by a hyphen. It did not take Alex very long to find his counselor because his last name began with an "A". Alex stood in line, which progressed very quickly, until he was standing in front of a dark skinned woman with a teal afro held back by a red and peach colored headband. In front of her on the table were the roster and small rectangular envelopes.

She looked up at Alex and gave him a warm smile, "Why hello there, what's your name, sweetie?" She had a very welcoming energy radiating from every word she said.

Alex returned her smile and responded, "Oh, uh, Alex Arceo."

"Hmm, Arceo…Ah! Here you are!" She put a check mark next to his name and reached for one of the envelopes. She handed it to him and continued speaking, "Here's your room key. You'll be getting an email from me by the end of tomorrow to let you know when my counseling hours are. Besides that, welcome to Pokémon Academy!" She had a large smile showing that she enjoyed the school and wanted other to as well.

"Thank you, um…"

"Lenora, honey."

Alex smiled sheepishly. "Lenora...right. Thanks." He walked away and headed to his dormitory. The envelope said he was in the Tao Dorm which was only a five minute walk from the quad where the bus dropped him off. When he arrived, he stood in front of a six story building with two statues of pokemon in front of it. Both were gold which did not hint Alex as to which pokemon these were. They appeared to be dragons but Alex did not think about it for too long. He entered the building and went up to the third floor where he walked through the hall and read the numbers on the doors until he found room 315. He slid his card key into the slot and red light turned green allowing him to twist the doorknob and open the door. Inside, were two beds, two closets, two desks, and one door adjacent to the door he walked in from. Alex opened the other door to find that the lights were on inside. There were a couple sinks, a wide mirror, a door to his side, a curtain, and another door on the opposite side of the room so he assumed that this was the restroom and that it connected two dorm rooms. He closed the door and walked further into his dorm room to find a suitcase on one of the beds and a black jacket hanging from a chair. _Guess my roommates already been here_. Just then, the bathroom door behind him opened and despite doing nothing wrong, Alex's heart beat accelerated and he quickly turned around like a prey hearing a predator approaching. Under the doorway stood a teenage boy, slightly shorter than Alex, with slightly tanned skin, crimson eyes, and black haired styled into a comb over. He wore a dark purple collar shirt, dark blue jeans, and gray Nike's with dashes of dark purple.

An awkward smile crept onto the stranger's face as he said, "Uh, hey! I'm Mark, you must be my roommate."

Alex returned a more confident smile and responded, "Yeah, I'm Alex. Guess you beat me to picking the beds." He chuckled awkwardly.

Mark's smile relaxed. "Yeah, is that cool with you?"

"Yeah, that's cool, dude. So what year are you?"

"I'm a freshman. What about you?"

"Yeah me too."

"Man, I'm so excited to be able to get my first Pokemon."

"Yeah and don't forget the fact that we're on an island a long distance from home at a school with hot girls."

They both started feeling comfortable. "Dude, I know right! As soon as I got on the bus there were so many pretty girls."

"Ha! Ha! Yeah," Alex chuckled but quickly started speaking again, "Wanna' get going to the dining hall?"

"Yeah, and it's a good thing because I'm pretty hungry." Mark went over to his chair and grabbed his black jacket. The two exited their room and made sure the door was closed. As they exited the building, Alex saw, in the corner of his eye, something move. He stopped and turned his head to look but didn't find anything unusual. "What's wrong?"

Alex stood still, moving only his eyes searching for something but found nothing. "I thought I saw something move by that tree over there but I guess it was nothing."

"Maybe it was a pokemon or something."

Alex started walking again but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. "I don't know. I saw something move sort of how you see everything waver when you look through the heat coming out of a muffler."

"Ghost pokemon maybe?"

Alex laughed, "I don't know what kind of ghost pokemon moves like that but sure." As the boys walked down the cement path, a small, pale-faced, green haired pokemon made itself visible. It sat on one of the dragon pokemon statues as it watched Alex and Mark walk away.

The boys arrived at the dining hall where they saw students walk through two large wide open double doors. They walked into a large room filled with conversations that echoed off the walls.

"Hey I promised a friend that we would sit together. Mind if we go sit with him?"

"No, that's cool with me!" Alex looked through the crowd, eventually finding Brock waving to him. The boys approached him and sat down next to him.

"Hey Brock, this is my roommate Mark. Mark, Brock." They shook hands and the three began talking amongst themselves.

At the end of the dining hall was a long table where several people wearing white coats were seated. The only person not wearing a white lab coat at that table was a tall woman with fair skin and blonde hair. She wore a long black trench coat with black fur lining around the collar and a black hair clip on each side of her head. She stood up and tapped her glass to get everyone's attention "Good evening students!" She said confidently. "I am your dean, Cynthia Blackthorn. Some of you may recognize me as the Sinnoh League Champion. I welcome you to Pokemon Academy, a place that I founded to provide young trainers and pokemon a positive environment to become powerful trainers and use the knowledge they learn here in their lives. Now before we can all dig in, I'd like to make a few welcoming announcements. Tomorrow, the freshmen will meet in front of the Pokemon enclosure in North campus. There, you will meet with Professor Elm and Professor Birch as they take you inside to capture your first pokemon." The two professors raised their hands to show the students who they were. "Now since tomorrow is Sunday, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors will have the day to relax. However, at 5:00 tomorrow, we will be having our opening battle between last year's best third year trainers so I expect everyone to be in the main stadium on time. Now with all of the business out of the way, enjoy the food!" All of the students delighted in the food.

Alex ate like a king, tossing bits of rice into his mouth with chopsticks bowl after bowl. With a mouth full of food, he said, "Hey Brock can you pass the beef?"

Brock looked at his friend with wide eyes amazed by his appetite, "Uh sure." He grabbed the plate of beef and passed it to Alex. Mark reached out with chopsticks of his own and snagged a piece of meat from the plate. The two roommates ate dish after dish and the whole table looked at them wide-eyed.

"This is so good!" Mark exclaimed.

"I know right!" Alex commented.

They each felt a hand on their shoulders and heard a female voice, "Enjoying the food are we?" They both turned around to see Cynthia standing behind them with a pleasant smile.

Alex carefully replied, "Oh, sorry about that. I've just been hungry since I was on the plane."

"Oh no need to worry!" she responded kindly. "I am just glad to see the happy faces of my students. You're both freshmen correct?" They both nodded. "Fantastic! I like to make sure that I get to know each of my students. What are you names?"

"Alex Arceo."

"Mark Villagran."

"Villagran…Wait! Are you Eric's little brother?"

"Yeah, that's me" he replied with an awkward smile.

"Well it's great to have both of you as an addition to our school" she responded. "Now I'll leave you to enjoy your food." The boys watched as she walked off to spark conversation with other students.

"How does she know you're brother?" Alex asked.

"He's a third year here and from the report card and battle record that he's shown us back home, he's one of the top students here."

"It's true," Brock commented, "I've seen the guy battle and he knows his way on the battlefield. You must be proud of having a brother like him."

Alex noticed a glint of disappointment in Mark's eyes as he responded, "Oh…yeah." The rest of dinner was very calm as students and faculty mingled to get to know each other. After dinner, Alex and Mark said goodbye to Brock and returned to their room.

"Dude I can't wait for tomorrow!" Alex exclaimed as he unpacked. "We're getting out first pokemon!"

"I know! I wonder what kind of pokemon we'll get."

"I'm going to catch the biggest, strongest, coolest, freakin' pokemon I can find!"

"So you don't want a Magikarp then?" They both laughed.

"Definitely not!"

"What about a Feebas?"

"I honestly prefer the Magikarp." Alex finished placing the last of his socks inside his drawer so he got up and jumped into bed. "Hey Mark…"

His roommate looked away from his laptop, "What's up?"

"What did you think of the dean?" Alex winked at Mark and flashed him a goofy grin.

Mark began laughing, "You mean Ms. Hot and Curvy? You seem surprised that she's the dean."

"Well yeah, I've never heard of her before. You know her because you're from the same region right?"

"Yeah, I'm from Sunyshore City in Sinnoh. What about you?"

"I'm from Vermillion City in Kanto. I wanted to come here so that I can become an awesome trainer and go home to take on the Indigo Plateau to be the Kanto Champion!"

"Well that's an awesome goal!" He closed his laptop and walked to the light switch. "We better get some rest for tomorrow." He flipped the light switch and the room was consumed by darkness.

**Well there you have it! Alex and Mark's first day at Pokemon Academy! What will their first pokemon be? Who else will they meet? Find out on the next chapter of Pokemon Academy: A New Dawn! Oh! And I am currently accepting OCs! PM me character profile with appearance, clothing, pokemon team, year, and background. We can talk more about your ideas so that we can fit them into the story. Other than that, thank you for reading the first chapter and don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Catching Pokemon

**Hey there everyone! I've come to bring you the second chapter of Pokemon Academy: A New Dawn. I know this only took a few days since I posted chapter 1 but it won't always be this quick especially with finals coming up. Thank you to everyone who submitted an OC and to the two people who reviewed. It's okay because it was only the first chapter but I want constructive criticism to improve my writing. I want to know what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, and what I can do to improve. Also, I just want to see what you guys think about the story. Anyway, for those of you who submitted an OC, I am working on fitting them into the story. Without further ado, enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: Catching Pokémon**

An alarm clock blared through the room slightly lit from the small beams of sunlight that crept through the curtains. Alex groaned annoyed by the recurring noise as Mark reached for his alarm clock from underneath his blanket. He aimlessly slammed his hand down multiple times until he felt his target and turned off the alarm.

"Much better," Alex said from under his pillow.

Mark got up from his bed and grabbed his clothes and tooth brush. He headed for the door and said, "Dude get up."

Without budging from his position, Alex responded, "Five more minutes."

"I'm going to take a shower, you better be ready by the time I get back."

"I will, I will."

Mark entered the bathroom to find another teenage boy inside brushing his teeth but he turned to look at the crimson eyed boy. This other boy had messy snow white hair with strange looking eyes—stranger than Mark's. His right eye was black while his left eye was white. He was five foot eight and wore a plain white shirt, an unzipped black jacket, black jeans, and black running shoes. He also had a bracelet on his left arm with a colorful stone engraved into it.

_I've seen that somewhere before_ Mark thought to himself. "Uh, good morning" he said awkwardly.

The snow haired boy took his tooth brush out of his mouth and rinsed his mouth before standing straight and responding, "Good morning to you too. I'm Karitoru, what's your name?"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mark."

"Cool! What year are you?"

"I'm a first year. How about you?"

"Same, and so is my roommate who's still sleeping."

Mark smiled, "Yeah, mine is too. Are you done with the shower?"

"Yeah, it's all yours."

"Alright thanks man." With that, Mark stepped into the shower and closed the curtain behind him. _Why does that stone look so familiar?_ After his morning rituals, Mark went back to his room to find Alex still sleeping. _He's still asleep?_ A devious thought crossed his head. _I've got it!_ He grabbed his alarm clock and placed it next to his roommates head. The alarm blared causing Alex to freak out and fall onto the ground.

"Okay, okay you win!" Mark smiled victoriously and pointed to their bathroom door commanding his roommate to go get ready. Just then, that same door had opened and two boys poked their heads out.

Mark recognized the first as Karitoru and assumed that the other boy was his roommate. Karitoru spoke, "Is everything alright in here?"

The second boy added with a yawn, "Yeah, I was sleeping comfortably, man."

"Yeah, nothing to worry about. I was just waking Alex up."

Alex had a confused look on his face. He asked, "Who are you guys?"

"We're staying next door" Karitoru said. "I'm Karitoru and this is my roommate Stephen."

"Yo." He said lazily. Stephen was about an inch taller than his roommate and had a rather lean build. He had light skin, short messy jet black hair, and forest green eyes. "I'm gonna' take a quick nap, if you need me" he said as he walked back through the door.

"Oh no you don't! Get ready!" Karitoru followed Stephen leaving Alex with an eyebrow raised.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"Just get in the shower, will you?" Alex got up and did as he was told, grumbling as he walked into the restroom.

When he returned, he asked, "So do you want to get some breakfast before going to the enclosure?"

"Sure, we've still got like forty minutes. Want to invite our neighbors?"

"Sure." They walked through the restroom and went into their neighbors' room. "Hey we're going to get breakfast, you guys want to come?"

Karitoru was pulling on Stephen's arm while the lazy teen tried to stay under his blanket. The snow haired teen turned around, "Well I'm down but I've gotta' get this guy out of bed first."

Alex and Mark laughed and watched as the white haired boy forced his sleepy roommate out of his bed. Stephen dressed himself with a green T-shirt, a black hooded jacket, black cargo shorts, and black converse. A yin yang necklace hung neatly around his neck and green headphones blasted music into his ears. Once they were all ready, they went on their way to the dining hall. While they waited patiently for the elevator to arrive Alex saw something odd. From the reflection of the golden elevator doors, he could see a little movement from behind him and his friends. He quickly turned around to find nothing but a white wall. "What happened?" Mark asked.

"I think I just saw something move again."

"Again?" asked Karitoru.

Alex explained his experience from the previous day but Mark and Karitoru didn't really believe that what he saw was real. Stephen, however, listened closely to every word he said, even with his headphones on.

After the elevator had arrived, the four teenagers made their way to the dining hall where they grabbed breakfast. After they all finished their food, they went to the habitat enclosure where they saw their classmates gathering around the entrance. Professor Elm and Birch were talking while they waited for all the freshmen to show up. Professor Elm was of average height with messy short light brown hair and glasses. He wore a light blue dress shirt, green slacks, and brown shoes. Professor Birch had dark brown hair and was dressed more casual with a dark blue shirt, brown shorts, and sandals. Alex and the others approached the professors who had them sign their names in and wait until everyone was present.

A few minutes passed before Professor Elm announced, "Okay, it looks like everyone is here and on time, which is great! Now, Professor Birch and I will be your supervisors while inside the enclosure." A student raised her hand which caught Elm's attention. "Yes? Do you have a question?"

The girl had dirty blonde hair and indigo eyes. She wore a pink fedora, a sleeveless black shirt with a white collar, a red skirt, leggings, and black sneakers. "Um yeah, how are we supposed to catch pokemon if we don't have any?"

"That's a good question," responded Professor Elm. "What's your name?"

"Serena!"

"Well Serena, we have here with us some pokeballs for you guys to use to capture the pokemon inside. You will each get six pokeballs because you may not get a catch on your first try. If you happen to run out of pokeballs, you can come find either myself or Professor Birch and we will give you more. Also, if you have time after you capture your first pokemon, you are allowed to continue catching them until time is up. There is no battling inside the enclosure so you will not be able to use pokemon you've caught to make other pokemon weak." Professor Elm looked around at the students then continued, "You will also get food to throw as bait which will make the pokemon easier to capture. We will be here until 4:00 so that we can go to the stadium. That should give everyone more than enough time to catch a pokemon. At noon, we will regroup at the entrance for lunch. We are having sandwiches delivered from the dining hall. You'll know when to come back to the entrance of the enclosure when you hear a bell on the intercom. Any questions?"

Serena raised her hand again and asked, "What if we can't catch a pokemon in time?"

Professor Birch responded, "Come talk to us and we'll work something out. That doesn't mean that you can slack off and expect us to help you out. The reason why Dean Blackthorn invented this exercise rather than accept only students who already have pokemon is to create an environment where effort is not only rewarded, but encouraged. Besides, the harder you try, the more likely you are to catch more pokemon and that puts you at an advantage. Now, if there are no more questions, we'd like you to make two lines to collect your pokeballs and bait. You will also be getting maps to help find you way back. Once you have your equipment, you can go inside." The students did as they were told, lining up, and after a few minutes, Alex, Mark, Karitoru, and Stephen all had their equipment so they went inside. When they entered the enclosure, they were amazed by the sight of various trees and plants, a sparkling river, and a mountain near the center of the enclosure.

"Whoa! This place is huge!" Alex exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know!" responded Karitoru. "Where do you guys want to go first?" They all looked at their maps and analyzed the different terrains. There was a desert terrain, forests, a lake, some open plains, and the mountain.

"There's a specific pokemon I'm looking for." Stephen said as he began walking.

"I guess I'll go with him" started Karitoru. "I've gotta' keep him out of trouble. I'll see you guys at lunch!" He chased after his roommate leaving Alex and Mark to decide where they wanted to go. They ended up deciding that they would go through the forest. The boys walked through the trees spotting pokemon every once in a while and tried capturing some but neither succeeded.

"Dude! This sucks!" Alex groaned impatiently. Just then, they heard the bushes move and they turned to see a Turtwig idly walking by. "This one's mine" he said licking his lip. He threw bait at the grass-type and it gladly began eating. Alex took out a pokeball and enlarged it but just as he was about to throw it, another pokeball dashed pass and bonked the Turtwig on its head before opening and welcoming it inside. "What the-! Mark did you do that?!"

Mark was taken aback from the accusation, "No, I saw it come from over there." Alex turned to where Mark pointed to find another student with purple hair and a serious face. He wore an indigo and black jacket, gray pants, and indigo shoes. "Who are you?" The purple haired teen ignored Alex's question and walked to pick up the pokeball. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

The stranger turned with anger in his eyes, "The name's Paul."

"That Turtwig is supposed to be mine."

"Then why is it in my pokeball?"

"Because you stole away my chance at catching it!"

"You snooze, you lose." He turned around and started walking away.

"Why you little-!" Mark had to hold Alex back from doing something he would regret.

"Forget about that jerk. One pokemon is not worth getting in trouble." Alex relaxed himself and the two continued through the forest until they arrived at a lake. They looked closely to see a Sharpedo chasing after a tiny Squirtle. "That Squirtle's in trouble!" Both boys quickly took off their shoes, put their wallets and pokegears on the ground, and jumped into the water, swimming as fast as they could until they reached the pokemon.

"I've got the Sharpedo, you get the Squirtle!" Mark nodded and the two sprang into action. Alex grabbed Sharpedo by the fin and tried steering it another way while Mark grabbed the Squirtle and took it out of the lake.

Panting, Mark told the tiny water-type, "You're safe now." Alex returned and both of the boys were soaking wet.

"Guess we should find somewhere with sunlight to dry off quicker." The boys said good bye to Squirtle and went on their way but as they were about to pass through the trees, Mark felt a tug on his wet pants. He turned to find the tiny turtle pokemon looking up at him with enthusiasm in his eyes.

"You wanna' come with me little guy?"

"Squirtle!" It nodded in agreement and with that, Mark lightly tossed the pokeball and Squirtle jumped to press the button and enter its new home. The bell on the intercom rang signaling them to return to the entrance for lunch. "Aw dude, you didn't get a pokemon."

"It's cool, I've still got the second half." His stomach growled and he gave a goofy smile while scratching the back of his head, "Besides, I can't catch pokemon on an empty stomach." Mark chuckled and the two went to lunch. After getting food, they took a seat on the grass, with slightly dryer clothing and enjoyed their food.

"Whoa, what happened to you guys?" asked Karitoru as he and Stephen approached their neighbors.

"Well we had to save a Squirtle from a Sharpedo" Mark responded. "And I ended up catching that Squirtle so the wet clothes were totally worth it. Did you guys get anything?"

"Well Stephen caught that pokemon he was looking for and I got myself a Pancham on the way to lunch." All three boys summoned their pokemon to reveal a Squirtle, a Pancham, and a Beldum.

"A Beldum, huh?" asked Alex.

Stephen nodded, "Yeah, my mentor had a Metagross so I decided I wanted a Beldum as my first pokemon."

"Where's your pokemon?" asked Karitoru.

"Well, I sort of haven't caught anything but I'm definitely going to catch one this time!"

"Well we've got out pokemon, mind if we tag along?" asked Karitoru. Alex agreed so when lunch ended, the four boys went back into the forest. After a few hours of walking, the sun was on its way to the horizon when they heard what sounded like a group of pokemon running. They searched for the commotion to find a Pikachu being chased by a group of Zangoose.

"Pika! Pika! Pika!" The yellow mouse turned its head and shouted "Pi…ka…chu!" and a bolt of electricity wildly hit some Zangoose but almost hit Alex and the others as well.

"Hey we better help it out!" Alex said. The others nodded and all four chased after the Pikachu and Zangoose. They all ran up a hill until Pikachu was stuck at the edge of a cliff. With nowhere to run, it faced its predators and got into a low stance with sparks of electricity resonating through the pouches on its cheeks.

"Pi-ka-chu!" The electric mouse used another Thunder Bolt attack that aimlessly hit the ground and nearby trees. As the boys came through the trees, a wild bolt hit a nearby branch causing it to fall. Mark quickly pushed Alex out of the way and the wood fell on top of him.

"Mark!" Alex yelled as he and his neighbors got the branch off of Mark and checked on him.

"I'm okay. My leg hurts a little, but I'm fine. Go save that Pikachu!" Alex nodded and had Stephen stay to watch over Mark while he and Karitoru went to Pikachu's aid. Just as a Zangoose was about to slash it, Alex covered Pikachu and endured the cold hard claws slicing through his shirt and skin.

"Alex! You okay?" Karitoru went to his side.

"Pika?" The wild Pikachu looked up at its savior.

"Yeah just a little scratch. Pikachu, I won't let them get you!" Alex turned around to face the Zangoose. "Go away and leave this poor pokemon!" The Zangoose did not take his words seriously. Instead, they prepared for another attack when Pikachu jumped onto Alex's shoulder and sprung forward with electricity surging through the pouches in its cheeks.

"PI! KA! CHU!" A bright flash of yellow shot out from the tiny mouse striking the attackers. When the light was gone, Alex and Karitoru could see the group of Zangoose all lying on the ground knocked out.

Alex looked at the rodent pokemon. "Wh-whoa! That was amazing!" Pikachu smiled fondly as Alex got down to a knee to have more of a face to face with the yellow mouse. "You're really strong, Pikachu. I'm out here to catch pokemon and I would be honored if you would be my first pokemon." He reached out a pokeball and held it out in front of him. The wild pokemon stared at it pondering on whether it wanted to go or not.

Finally, it looked away and said, "Pika!"

"Oh, does that mean you don't want to come with me?" Alex looked down but felt something hop onto its shoulder. When he turned his head, he saw Pikachu standing on top of it. "Oh! I get it, you do want to come with me, but you don't want to be stuck inside a pokeball." Pikachu nodded. "Alright, that's cool with me!" Alex and Karitoru returned to check on Mark and found him sitting against a tree while Stephen stood watching out for him.

"Hey! The Pikachu is safe!" Mark said

"Yeah, and it agreed to be my pokemon."

"Wait so why isn't it in its pokeball?" Stephen asked.

"It does want to." Mark and Stephen looked at each other confused.

Mark asked, "Is that allowed?"

"Mmm, I don't really know. I guess we can ask the professors." The bell on the intercom went off again signaling them that it was time to go. "Here let me help you." Alex grabbed Mark's arm and slung it over his shoulders to help support him. Pikachu saw this and jumped on top of Alex's hat which was fine with the trainer. The four boys walked back to the entrance where everyone else was waiting.

Professor Elm and Professor Birch saw the limping boy and rushed over to him. Birch switched placed with Alex as Mark's new support. "What happened?" asked Professor Elm.

"A branch fell and it was about to hit Alex so I pushed him out of the way. The branch fell on my leg."

Elm asked Birch, "Can you take him to the hospital while I get everyone else to the main stadium?" His colleague nodded in agreement.

"Hey, can we go with Mark?" Alex asked. "I wouldn't feel right going to the stadium without him."

"Of course you can," Elm responded.

"Oh and I have another question." Elm gave the boy his attention. "I sort of caught this Pikachu but he doesn't seem to want to go into his pokeball."

A look of confusion spread through the professors' faces. "Doesn't want to go into its pokeball?" asked Elm. "So it's made no contact with the device?"

"No."

"Well then it isn't yours yet. It would at least have to be inside just once for you to be able to claim it as your own."

Alex picked Pikachu up off his hat and placed it on the ground in front of him. "Well Pikachu, can you do that small favor for me? Can you go inside the pokeball so I can catch you? It will only be for a second and I promise I'll let you out as soon as you're caught." Pikachu looked at Alex indecisive of whether it should trust someone it had barely met.

It saw a look of determination and sincerity in Alex's eyes so it smiled and commented, "Pika!" Alex took out a pokeball and placed it in front of Pikachu. The yellow mouse tapped the button and was converted into red energy before going inside of the ball. The device shook and then it clicked.

"Alright I caught it!" The ball began shaking again. "Huh?"

Birch said, "I think it wants you to let it out already."

"Oh, right!" Alex quickly picked up the pokeball and called out Pikachu. "Sorry about that buddy, but I can promise you that you'll never have to go back in again." He gave his new pokemon a confident grin and Pikachu returned it. With that, Alex and the others helped Birch take Mark to the infirmary while Elm led the rest of the freshman to the main stadium.

Inside the stadium, there were thousands of students all cheering as the competitors walked through their gates. On one side, was a tall serious looking teenager with spiky blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. He wore a blue jacket with yellow edges and a black collar, a black under shirt, dark gray pants, and gray shoes. His challenger was a light skinned and had a red afro. He wore a yellow collar shirt, a red belt, dark grey jeans, and black sandals.

"I've been waiting all summer for this bro!" The red head said.

His blonde friend smiled and calmly said, "Me too. I hope you're ready, Flint."

"Same to you, Volkner." The two threw out their first pokemon and the stadium was filled with loud cheering.

**Oh no! Mark is in the hospital! Not to worry though, he will definitely be okay! I was happy to write in these two OCs. For the creators of these characters, let me know what you thought of them in this chapter. I am still accepting OCs! PM me character profile with appearance, clothing, pokemon team, year, and background. Oh and starting with chapter 3, I will answer any questions you guys ask in the reviews. By the way, I've made some changes to chapter 1 so if you've read it before May 26, you should give it another read. Anyway, thank you for reading and don't forget to review and submit those OCs!**


	3. Chapter 3: Oh, Brother

**Hello everyone! I'm approaching week 10 at school which means finals are right around the corner so I thought I'd leave you guys with something before I get really busy. Thanks for everyone who's submitted an OC and those who have reviewed. I'd like to give a shout out to ****1crazyshadow**** and Seth98 for the OCs Karitoru and Stephen (Respectively). No one asked a question in the reviews so there's nothing to answer this time but if there's anything you guys want to know, I'll answer it here. Now, let's continue where we left off!**

**Chapter 3: Oh! Brother…**

The sky was black and the bright stadium lights illuminated the battle field. The two friends stood on opposite sides of the field staring directly at each other. They were each down to their last pokemon and neither was ready to give up. The fiery red head was beaming with energy as the uninterested blonde maintained his cool. They both called out their last and most powerful pokemon. On Flint's side, stood a red and yellow molten giant called Magmortar, and on Volkner's was a furry yellow beast called Electivire. Even the two pokemon were familiar with and respected each other. Both trainers and pokemon looked to their opponents wanting to settle this and all their previous battles to see who would begin their rein as the school's top student.

"Magmortar use Fire Blast!" A star-shaped blast of fire flew towards the yellow beast.

"Electivire, dodge it with Double Team and hit him with Thunder." Electivire made fake duplicates of itself and successful escaped the Fire Blast, immediately using an attack of its own. Electricity appeared above Magmortar and a crash of lightning came down on him.

"Hey you okay buddy?" Magmortar recovered from the powerful blow having felt it before many times in the past. "Awesome! Now use Earthquake!" The ground shook in a terrible tremor that badly injured Electivire.

"I see you've used a TM" Volkner said with a small smirk on his face.

"Yeah! And that was just for you, bro!" Flint responded with a large grin.

"Electivire, Thunder Punch." Electivire curled its hand into a fist and electricity formed around it.

"Fire Punch!" Fire formed around Magmortar's fist and both pokemon went charging at each other until their fists collided. Fire and electricity wildly shot out from the attack from all sides and the stadium was filled with a blinding light.

* * *

Alex, Mark, Karitoru, and Stephen were inside a hospital room watching the welcoming battle between Flint and Volkner on the hospital television. Mark was lying in the hospital bed with bandages wrapped around his leg, Alex was sitting down with Pikachu on his lap, Karitoru was leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets, and Stephen sat on the window sill still listening to loud music. On the TV, both trainers were very skilled and their pokemon were incredibly powerful. Just when one would knock out his opponent's pokemon, his would be defeated and this continued until it was down to Magmortar against Electivire.

The doctor came in and said, "Well, Mark, you don't have any broken bones, but your leg is swollen and you'll have to stay in bed for the next few days."

"What?! But what about class?"

"You can't walk until the swelling goes down. I say you'll be good to go by Thursday but if you keep icing your leg and get lots of rest, you'll get out a day early."

"So he's going to have to stay here?" asked Karitoru.

"Yes. You're all his friends correct?"

Alex replied, "Yeah, I'm his roommate and they're in the room right next to us."

"Okay, well you are all welcome to stay with him until 9:00 when visiting hours are over." The doctor exited the room leaving the boys alone.

The boys turned their attention back to the television when they heard, a commentator say, "Well it's a tie! This truly was an amazing battle ladies and gentlemen!"

Another commentator added, "And what makes this battle even better is that fourth year students Flint Asher and Volkner Wattson have been friends since freshman year and they've competed for the top spot of their class with the score going back and forth. " At the center of the stadium stood Cynthia with Flint and Volkner on either side of her. "I think she's about to make her decision, folks!"

Cynthia had her usual relaxed smile as she looked out at the crowd. She held a microphone in her hand as she began speaking, "I think I speak for everyone when I say that you two really did deserve the honor to battle here today. You are both powerful trainers with a great connection to your pokemon, however, I have to decide between the two of you who gets the title of being the strongest trainer at this academy. It gives me great pleasure to announce Volkner Wattson as the number one student at this academy." The crowd cheered wildly as the two friends shook hands and students rushed down from the stands onto the field to congratulate them both on the epic battle. As the cheering went on, Alex, couldn't help but watch a certain blonde girl run through the crowd and kiss Volkner.

_'It's too bad she has a boyfriend_.' Brock's words rang through Alex's ears as he watched the screen, focusing on the Unovian supermodel.

Mark noticed how focused he was, "Hey, you okay dude?"

"Huh?" Alex looked away from the screen.

"I think he's got a little crush" Stephen teased.

A slight blush formed on Alex's face and he frantically said, "What? No! I mean she's hot but I don't have a crush on her."

The others chuckled. "Don't worry" Karitoru stated. "It's fine to have a little crush man."

"Yeah whatever." Alex's stomach began growling and now everyone else had something new to laugh about. "Uh, I'm kind of hungry. Mark, is it cool if I go get something to eat and come right back?"

"Yeah, no worries, man. Aren't you guys hungry too?"

"Come to think of it, yeah, a little" responded Karitoru. "Want us to bring you something back?"

"Sure, thank you." Pikachu hopped onto Alex's shoulder and they went over to the dining hall, along with Karitoru and Stephen. Once they finished eating, they grabbed a napkin to wrap some pizza for Mark. When they returned, they found Mark eating noodles already and there were four other teenagers in the room. Mark's friends looked around at the unfamiliar faces.

There were three boys and one girl. The girl had slightly tanned skin and red hair tied into a bun on the upper right side of her head with long strands of her hair framing her face. Her eyes were sky blue and she displayed a friendly smile. She had a long sleeved shirt that revealed her belly, shorts, and boots—all of which were light blue with shades and tints of blue on the edges. She was sitting in the chair that Alex was sitting in earlier. The tallest of the three boys had pale skin, messy crimson red hair, and hazel eyes. He wore a black sleeveless coat with golden edges that was held at the waste by a brown belt. Below his belt, the coat opened to reveal black pants with golden seams. He wore black shoes and to complete his outfit, he had a white scarf that looked like it had scales of some kind. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a calm expression on his face. Next in height, was a boy with light skin, black hair—covered by a white knit cap—and black eyes. This boy wore a black and orange short sleeved shirt with the collar popped, black and gray shorts, green and orange shoes, and a green headband. He was standing next to the previous boy with a pleasant smile on his face.

Alex did not pay much attention to these three when he saw the fourth's eyes. They were a blood red exactly like Mark's. His skin was bronze and his hair was black—styled into forward spikes. He was maybe an inch taller than Mark, but definitely no more than that. He wore a white dress shirt with a dark blue cotton blazer over it and over that, a light gray short-sleeved hoodie with black sleeves, edges, and hood. His pants were dark gray and they were held by a black belt. He had light gray and black Nike's and to finish his outfit, he wore a necklace with a stone exactly the same as the one on Karitoru's bracelet over his collar shirt. Perched on his shoulder was a small lavender bat pokemon that looked directly at Alex's Pikachu with a confident smirk. Alex couldn't keep from staring at the boy's crimson eyes because although they were the same as Mark's, they conveyed a different emotion. He couldn't quite tell what it was. Considering this boy's eye color and the fact that he was standing close to Mark, Alex came to the conclusion that this was Mark's older brother.

"Hey guys!" Mark said enthusiastically.

Alex broke eye contact with Mark's brother to look at his friend. "Hey, we brought you some pizza but I guess you're taken care of."

"Yeah, my brother brought me some noodles." Alex looked back at Mark's brother. "Oh, uh, Eric, this is my roommate, Alex, and those two guys over there" Mark pointed to his neighbors "are staying in the room next door. That's Karitoru and Stephen. Guys, this is my brother Eric, and his friends, Skyla, Takuya, and Brendan."

"Nice to meet you all" Alex said as he walked over to shake all of their hands.

Eric finally spoke with a relaxed smile on his face, "Same to you. This is my pokemon, Noibat."

It waved one of its wings and said, "Noi! Noibat!"

"This is my buddy, Pikachu" Alex responded.

"Pika!" The yellow mouse waved in return.

Eric looked back at his brother's friends and said, "Thank you for bringing my little brother to the hospital."

Alex felt a little easier, "Of course, anything for a friend!"

Eric smiled large enough to show teeth before he continued talking, "So you're all first years right?" They nodded. "How are you liking campus so far?"

Karitoru answered, "It's really cool! I just can't wait to start battling all the strong trainers." He could've sworn that he saw Eric's eyes light up when he said "strong trainers."

"Well you're in luck" responded Brendan with a confident smile. "We're all pretty strong if you ask me." He spoke in a hushed voice and held his hand against the side of his mouth while pointing with his other hand, "Except maybe Skyla."

A vein almost popped out of Skyla's head as she yelled, "Oh shut it will you! You're not exactly the best around here either!" Everyone laughed at their little squabble.

Eric ignored them and spoke to Karitoru, "Well let me tell you something, because freshmen barely caught their pokemon today, you guys will pretty much only be battling other freshmen trainers. I'm sure you guys know this by now, but every Friday, after school, we have three hours devoted to trainer battles in the main stadium."

"Will we be battling?" asked Stephen.

"No," Takuya responded. "Dean Blackthorn only lets upper classmen participate in weekly battles for the first few weeks so that you guys can pick up some strategies from watching us. Meanwhile, you'll be honing your skills in Battling Class with Chuck, Norman, or Crasher Wake."

Brendan added, "Those are the teachers, by the way. They also all happen to be Gym Leaders "

"Seriously?! That's awesome!" exclaimed Alex.

Stephen asked, "So will you guys be battling this week?"

"Maybe," replied Eric. "There are a lot of students and usually we have enough time for six battles. Some are quicker than others so they usually set up about eight matches just in case there's time after the first six. They let you know if you're battling on Thursday night so that you can prepare, but they don't let you know who you're going up against."

After a few more minutes of talking, Eric looked at his Xtransciever and said, "Hey Mark, we've gotta' go now. Volkner, Elesa, and Flint are waiting for us at a restaurant on campus. We're all eating dinner together to celebrate the battle."

Alex thought to himself, _He knows her?! Lucky mofo…_

"Okay, thanks for visiting," Mark said.

"I'll stop by for another visit tomorrow." Eric and his friends said their goodbyes and began leaving. On the way out, Eric noticed Karitoru's bracelet and a small smile formed on his lips as his eyes shot up to meet Karitoru's. The younger boy felt fear from looking into those eyes and was forced to take a step back. It was as though Eric didn't just look at him, he looked through him and it scared Karitoru. What seemed like forever ended as Eric walked out of the room with Noibat on his shoulder and his friends following behind.

The whole time that Eric was inside the room, Karitoru was burning on the inside with a question he just had to know the answer to. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, "Mark, where did your brother get that necklace?!" The others looked at him surprised.

Mark's eyes opened wide and he face palmed himself, "That's where I've seen that stone before!" Now everyone was looking at him with confused expressions on their faces. "When Eric came home this past summer, he had that necklace on and said that he got it from one of his professors, but I didn't see it much afterward. When I first saw you in the restroom, I noticed your bracelet and I knew that I had seen something like it before but I just couldn't remember where. Where did you get it?"

"My dad gave it to me before I left home and came here. I wear it all the time, even in my sleep."

Stephen had to ask, "Even in the shower? Do you make sure to clean it with soap?" Karitoru stayed quiet and the others burst into laughter.

"Hey shut up!"

"You know we're just messing dude," Alex responded as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No! I don't need this!" Karitoru stormed out of the room.

Alex started "Hey wait!"

"Just leave him" said Stephen. "He just needs to cool off."

* * *

Shortly after Eric and the others left the hospital, they walked through campus on their way to meet their friends. Eric walked with his hands in his pocket and his Noibat laying calmly on top of his head. Skyla was walking next to him while Takuya and Brendan were behind them.

"So is Flint treating us?" Brendan asked. "You know, seeing as how he lost." Skyla hit him upside the head, "Ouch!"

Skyla said, "That's not very nice! Besides, just one of his pokemon can wipe out your whole team."

Eric and Takuya laughed because they were already used to Skyla and Brendan's little routine. He would have a snide remark while Skyla would hit him and it never got old. Without looking away from the cement path in front of them, Eric said, "To answer your question Brendan, Elesa is paying for all of us. I told her, we could all pitch in, but you know how she is when it comes to her boyfriend."

"That's what you call love" Skyla said dreamily. She looked directly at Eric and continued, "I can't wait to find myself a boyfriend."

Eric cracked a smile, "You know Falkner is available. I think you two would have a lot in common." He'd always liked playing with her like that. Playing hard to get always worked for him anyway.

Skyla threw a frown his way, "Of course he's single. All he does is play with his birds."

Brendan coughed, "Sounds like someone we know."

Skyla opened her mouth to say something but instead her cheeks burned red from embarrassment. The others started laughing when Eric suddenly stopped to look at the mountain at the end of the island. The others kept walking but stopped when they realized their friend was standing still. They all followed his eyes to see what he was looking at and they understood.

Takuya walked up next to him still looking at the mountain and asked him, "Are you going to try again this year?"

Eric simply said, "No, I'm _going_ to get it this year."

* * *

After visiting hours had ended at the hospital, Alex and Stephen said goodbye to Mark and promised to return the next day. As they walked, they heard a noise from the nearby trees. It sounded like someone was hitting something. They followed the sound to find Karitoru with his shirt off, punching and kicking trees with his newly caught Pancham training alongside him. Karitoru stopped and began doing clapping push-ups until his arms couldn't hold him up anymore. He pushed up one last time, with all of his strength, before collapsing. He panted hard as he lied on the cold grass.

"Well he's gonna' get itchy" Stephen joked.

Alex smiled but chose not to respond or add to it. Instead, he started walking towards Karitoru and said, "Hey buddy," Karitoru lifted his head to see his roommate and neighbor standing in front of him. "We're really sorry about laughing at you back there."

Karitoru sat up straight and pulled out a pokeball to call his Pancham back. "It's not about you guys laughing at me. It's just, that bracelet means a lot to me. My dad is a strong Gym Leader and I want to be just as great a man and trainer that he is. For years, I trained alongside my dad's pokemon to get strong and be able to defend myself. He gave me that bracelet before I left home so for your guys to laugh at that, it just got me so angry." Anger entered his eyes again but left as quickly as it had appeared.

Alex took a seat next to Karitoru and Stephen sat down on his roommate's other side. Alex began speaking, "Sorry, I didn't know it was like that."

"Yeah, me neither."

Karitoru looked at his friends and couldn't help but smile. "It's okay, just don't do it again. Or I might have to do that to you." He pointed over to a tree and got up to put his shirt back on. Alex and Stephen looked at the tree which looked like a Tauros had impaled it with its horns. There was an indentation in the tree and the bark was split. Once Karitoru was dressed, he walked up behind Alex and Stephen and said, "So you guys want to go back to the dorm?" They nodded and the three went to their rooms.

**Well we just met Mark's older brother. What's up with this guy? Creepy eyes but he seems so nice? Come on now. We also got to learn a little about Karitoru and he is one tough dude so don't get him mad. Anyway, I'm still accepting OCs so if you have an idea for a character, submit it through message. I'll submit the criteria every once in a while but it's on the first chapter. The criteria are name, personality, ****appearance, clothing, pokemon team, year, and background.**


	4. Chapter 4: Our Pasts

**Hey there everyone! I am back and it feels great to be able to post a new chapter! I'm done with finals so I have much more time to spend writing this story which means we'll get more updates this summer! Now, I've made a small but very important change to Chapter 3 so if you haven't read it before this update, check it out so you'll know what I'm talking about. Thank you to the people who reviewed and those who sent me OC profiles. Remember, if you ever have any ideas not only for OC's but for the story or characters that are already in it, do not hesitate to PM me! I don't bite…when I'm not hungry. Anyway, let's get to what you guys really want and that is Chapter 4 of Pokemon Academy: A New Dawn. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Our Pasts**

The following day, Alex got ready in the restroom while Karitoru tried to get Stephen out of bed again. Pikachu was still sleeping comfortably on Alex's bed but woke up when it heard a thud from the next room. Alex and Pikachu walked into their neighbors' room to find Stephen on the floor.

"Hey, I told you to get up" Karitoru said while stifling a laugh. Stephen rubbed the back of his head, got up, and started getting ready.

_I think it's going to be like this every morning_ Alex said as he went back into restroom. When they were all finished getting ready, they went to get breakfast, then headed to their first class—Pokemon Physiology. When they were right outside the classroom, they still had about ten minutes before class started and there were still a lot of empty seats in the room.

"Hey can you guys hear that?" Stephen asked. Alex and Karitoru listened closely and heard what sounded like boys laughing and a girl whining. They followed the noise and rounded a corner where they saw three boys standing around a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail, pale skin with freckles on her face, and icy blue eyes. She wore a bright green T-shirt, blue jean shorts, and neon purple tennis shoes. One of the bullies held a pokeball above her head tauntingly.

The girl yelled "Come on, give it back!"

He responded with lust in his eyes, "I'll give it back if you do us a little favor." His friends laughed at the vulgarity in his words.

Her cheeks turned red and she nervously responded, "I'm not doing that!"

"Hey!" The girl and her tormentors turned to see Alex, Karitoru, and Stephen standing at the end of the hallway. Alex was the one who called out to them.

Karitoru stepped forward and said, "Give her the pokeball back."

"Oh, we'll give her something" the bully joked.

"I'm not gonna' repeat myself." The bullies walked over to Karitoru and the others.

The bully that was holding the girl's pokeball, presumably the leader, stood face to face with Karitoru when he responded, "And who's gonna' make me, punk?" On that last word, he poked Karitoru's chest but the snow haired teen quickly grabbed his hand and twisted it, forcing the bully to kneel. "That's a cheap shot!" Karitoru let go.

"Okay then, let's have a fair fight," Karitoru responded as he raised his fists. The bully charged at him like a raging Tauros but Karitoru swiftly moved out of the way and with bullet speed, he connected his right fist with the bully's face. He went down with that one shot and Karitoru smiled at his victory. He heard footsteps approaching quickly so he looked up to find the bully's friends running towards him. He caught one of the bully's fists with one hand and pulled him forward to block the second bully's attack. He flipped the first one and kicked the second one into the wall. Karitoru made his opponent suffer, first, by punching him in the gut, then upper-cutting him, and finishing with a right hook to the face.

Alex and Stephen looked at him wide-eyed while the freckle faced girl picked up her pokeball and ran up to thank Karitoru. "Those jerks deserved it," Karitoru responded. They heard someone clear his voice so they turned to see one of the professors. He was very tall with white hair, a white mustache, and light skin.

"Fighting on the first day are we?" His voice was gruff.

Alex turned around to see the bullies on the floor then realized how bad the situation looked, "No! You see, those guys were—"

The professor raised a hand signaling him to stop talking. "You're coming with me." He spoke directly to Karitoru and began walking.

Alex spoke up, "I'm coming too!"

The professor turned around and responded, "No, you didn't do anything wrong. Get to class."

"I know I didn't do anything. I want to go because Karitoru is my friend and he was only doing what was right!"

The professor looked at him for a moment then began speaking again, "Alright, you can come too then…" Alex felt at ease but that ended when the professor continued, "…for talking back to an instructor." Alex's shoulder slumped over as he and Karitoru said goodbye to Stephen and walked with the white haired professor to the administration office. They took the elevator up to the fourth floor where Cynthia's office was. "Wait here," said the professor while gesturing to some chairs.

He knocked on the door and waited until a female voice said, "Come in!" He opened the door and went inside for about a minute before coming back to call the boys in. When Alex and Karitoru stepped inside, they saw Cynthia sitting at her desk. "Have a seat boys." They complied. "Professor Rowan told me what he saw so now I'd like to hear your side." Karitoru explained what had happened with a serious tone in his voice. When it was Alex's turn, he was complaining about the bullies and how it wasn't fair for Karitoru to get in trouble. Cynthia giggled because his efforts amused her. "Don't worry, I know what happened. I have eyes everywhere on this campus. Still, I do not allow fighting between students or faculty on campus. Someone could have gone to a teacher and told them what was going on but neither of you, nor your friend or that girl, did. Instead, you though it best to bash their brains in. I could easily expel you for this, Karitoru, but because I know your intention were good, I won't." Alex relaxed but Karitoru still maintained his serious exterior. "I do, however, have to give you a punishment so for the next week, you will be in detention with Professor Rowan. Now, I'll just write you two hall passes and you can get back to class." Cynthia wrote up the passes and gave them to the boys but just as they were leaving she said, "Oh and Alex, please do try to be a little more respectful and think before you say something? Professor Rowan complained about it." She kept her heavenly smile the entire time.

Alex returned a meek smile and agreed before leaving. The pair arrived in class when their professor was in mid-sentence. She had caramel brown hair styled into an upward swirl. Her skin was fair and her eyes were emerald green. When Alex and Karitoru entered, she looked at them but did not seem to be angry at the interruption. She extended a hand out and asked, "Can I see your tardy passes?" They complied and she read over them briefly before saying, "You may have a seat where you'd like." They scanned the faces of their classmates until they found Stephen and sat next to him. Their professor continued, "For those of you who were late, my name is Professor Juniper. Now, like I was saying, the origins of pokemon are highly debated. There was a time when the most popular theory was that all pokemon came from Mew but now, the new belief among pokemon researchers is that Arceus was the creator of the world and all the pokemon that inhabit it." Professor Juniper continued speaking until the bell rang and dismissed the class. Alex did not really find interest in most of his subjects until his fourth period—Battling Class.

Battling Class was in one of the smaller arenas so when Alex, Karitoru, and Stephen arrived, they saw a man with black hair and light skin holding a clipboard. He wore a red sweatshirt, blue pants, and black shoes—a very normal style of dressing. They walked over to him and Stephen said, "Excuse me, we're looking for the teacher."

The man responded, "Well that depends on which grade you boys are in."

"We're all freshmen" Alex responded.

"Great! That means you're all with me! My name is Norman. What are yours?" The boys introduced themselves and Norman checked their names off of his clipboard. "Wait on the bench over there and we can get started." They did as they were told and sat on the bench, talking amongst themselves, until Norman came back. "Okay everyone, time to get started! I'm Norman, your Battling Class teacher. Here, we train with our pokemon and hone our skills as trainers so that you can all become great trainers! Let me tell you a little about myself. I am the Petalburg City Gym Leader, my specialty is battling with normal-type pokemon, and I have a daughter that comes here, named May. Now, I'll be teaching you many things, but I'll be focused mostly on battle style. A lot of people stress a pokemon's typing in battle and although it is very important, it is also important to know how to use your pokemon's strengths in creative ways during a battle. For instance, my normal-types are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to fighting-types. Luckily, that's the only type that affects them and it isn't hard to teach normal-types powerful moves to go head-to-head with fighting-types. Let me introduce you to one of my pokemon."

He took a pokeball out and lightly tossed it into the air and a Vigoroth appeared in front of the students. The students awed at the energetic wild monkey pokemon as it smiled at them. This was Vigoroth's favorite time of year—when Norman showed it off to all the freshmen. It made him feel like he was some sort of super hero to these kids.

Norman continued, "Now, although for most of you, this is the first time having a pokemon, I'm sure there's at least one of you who has _some_ prior experience with pokemon or battling. Who's that person this year?" Norman scanned the group until both Karitoru and Stephen both stepped forward. They looked at each other, surprised, and then looked to Norman to see what he would do. Norman laughed and simply said, "I usually battle the student that steps forward, but how would you two like to battle each other? Show off some skills to your peers?" Alex looked at his friends with surprise on his face as they walked away from each other and turned around to face one another. "Now this will be a one on one match, the one whose pokemon gets knocked out first loses. Let's get this battle started!"

Karitoru had a grin on his face as he threw his pokeball, "Come on out, Pancham!" He looked at his roommate, "I'm not losing to you."

Stephen smiled slightly as he summoned his Beldum, "Neither will I."_ Unfortunately, it's just like Steven said. Beldum only knows one move._

Norman looked at both battlers "Begin!"

Karitoru called out the first move, "Pancham, use Arm Thrust!" The tiny panda charged at its opponent and thrust its paw into Beldum's body. Beldum quickly recovered from the blow.

"Achilles, use Take Down." Beldum moved quickly towards Pancham.

"Use Leer!" Pancham stared at Beldum with an intimidating look making it doubt itself and leaving an opening. "Hit him with another Arm Thrust!" The attack made contact and pushed the steel-type back.

"Use another Take Down. Stay focused this time, you can do it!"

"Dodge it" Pancham followed orders and moved its body.

Stephen smiled. _Gotcha'_. "Now Achilles, grab Pancham! Don't let it get away." Just as Pancham had dodged the Take Down, Beldum's arm closed around the panda's foot, entrapping it. "Now slam it against the ground." Beldum quickly whirled and slammed Pancham into the ground. "Use take down." Beldum moved towards Pancham.

Karitoru had to think quickly, "Pancham, roll out of the way then grab Beldum and throw it up into the air!" Pancham did as it was told. As the steel-type pokemon came back down, Karitoru called, "Use Arm Thurst one more time!" Pancham concentrated its power into its palm and hit Beldum, sending it flying to Stephen's feet.

Stephen took out Beldum's pokeball and recalled it, "You did great, Achilles."

Karitoru called back Pancham and walked over to his roommate with his arm extended before him. "That was a great battle, man!"

Stephen smiled and accepted the handshake, "Yeah, it definitely was."

Norman smiled and clapped, "That was amazing, both of you! Did the rest of you see that? They both used their pokemon's abilities and attributes in creative ways. Where did you two learn how to battle like that?"

Karitoru spoke first, "My dad's a fighting-type Gym Leader so I grew up watching him battle and I picked up a few things from him."

"My mentor taught me everything he knows."

Norman responded, "Well he sure knows a lot because you did great!"

Alex ran up to his neighbors and said, "Hey! That was so awesome! You guys have got to teach me how to battle like that!" His friends smiled and agreed to do so.

* * *

_He stood in front of the burning building holding onto his mother's hand. They were in endless darkness surrounded by trees and the only light came from the flickering flames that crackled in a dangerous tune. Tears rolled down his cheek as he stared into the blazing inferno waiting to see three familiar faces. He felt his mother's grip tighten so he looked up to see her crying as well._

"_Are they going to be okay?" He asked._

_His mother looked back at him feigning a smile and responded, "They'll be perfectly fine. You're father's in there." She turned back to face the flames and looked out for her husband and children. That's when they could see shadowed figures coming out of the doorway. When they got closer, he could see them clearly. There were only two—one was his father whose face and clothes were covered in ash and the other was his older brother._

_The boys' mother walked up to their father and frantically asked, "Where's Sara?!" The man simply looked back at the house and his wife broke down into tears._

* * *

Mark slowly opened his eyes to find himself still in the hospital room panting hard and with sweat rolling down his forehead. The curtains were open and he could tell it was around noon. He wiped his forehead before sweat could stream to his eyes and burn them then stared at the back of his hand thinking about his dream. There were three knocks at the door so he looked over at it and called out, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Eric with a plastic bowl in his hand and Noibat on his shoulder. He stepped in making way for Skyla and Elesa to walk in behind him. "Hey there, little bro," Eric said as the three spread out through the room. Skyla sat down in the chair holding an apple and a kitchen knife.

"You guys didn't come in here to kill me right?" Mark asked jokingly.

Eric went along with it, "Ha! Pssh! No…" He handed Mark the bowl. "Careful, it's hot." Mark sat up and took hold of the bowl filled with clam chowder as Eric brought the rolling table closer for his younger brother to set the bowl on. "By the way, this is my friend, Elesa."

Elesa smiled as she and Mark shook hands and said, "Sorry about not coming yesterday. Eric told me what happened to you and I felt really bad, you know with all the excitement, I couldn't really get away."

"No, it's okay" Mark responded. "Besides, not everyone gets a supermodel in his hospital room." He and Eric laughed while the girls giggled.

Elesa blushed slightly as she responded, "Oh stop, I'd prefer if you'd treat me like any other ordinary girl, 'kay?"

Eric quickly remarked, "So you want him to get nervous and embarrass himself?" Skyla giggled and Mark's face burned bright red. Eric smiled and looked at his brother, "You know I'm just kidding, bro."

Mark smiled and laughed a little admitting that his brother got him. He then asked, "Hey Eric, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Where did you get that necklace?"

Eric didn't even bother looking at it as he thought to himself, _His friend must have asked him about it_. "A professor here gave it to me."

"What does it do?"

Eric smiled, "It lets me mega evolve my pokemon."

"Mega evolve? What's that?"

"Well it's when a pokemon evolves past its final stage to reach a state of unbelievable power. Only certain pokemon can do it and they revert to their regular form after a while." He grabbed his necklace and looked at it. "It let my pokemon be there for me when I needed them the most…I just wish I could've been able to do the same." Elesa put a hand on his shoulder and Skyla looked at him with concern. Mark wanted to know what his brother was talking about but he felt it best not to ask right now. Eric simply stared off into space and drifted back into his memories.

* * *

_There was hardly any light inside the cave as the waterfall cascaded down into a dark lake. Within the darkness resided a winged monster with vicious eyes that cut through the darkness and steel fangs that could rip through solid rock. Eric was down on one knee, with scrapes and cuts covering his body. He held a pokeball in his hand but he was immobilized by fear. It wasn't fear for his own life, but fear for his friend's. He was down to his last pokemon and considering the condition the others were in, he didn't know what to do. If he called out his last pokemon, they would most likely both die but if he didn't call it out, he himself surely would have died, and his companion would be forever trapped, never to see the light of day again. The device shook in his hand and he understood what to do. With great reluctance, he threw his pokeball into the air and it popped open releasing a bright light._

* * *

After class, Karitoru made his way to Professor Rowan's classroom for detention. As he walked, he was approached by two girls. One was the pale skinned girl from earlier, and the other was a tan skinned girl with dark brown eyes and long brown hair with auburn and blonde highlights. She wore a coral blue T-shirt, blue jean capris, and black lace-up boots. A small round blue pokemon sat happily on her shoulder.

The second girl spoke first, "Hi, you saved my sister from those bullies earlier right?"

_These two are sisters? They don't even look alike_ Karitoru thought. "Yeah. Why?"

She quickly hugged him and responded "I just wanted to say thank you so much for looking after her! It means so much to me that she and her pokemon are safe!" There was a slight blush on Karitoru's face.

As she stepped back from the hug, Karitoru still had the blush, "It was nothing. I don't like bullies."

"Still, thank you so much for protecting her," she said again. "By the way, my name is Jessica and this is my partner Spheal."

"Spheal!" It squeaked.

She continued, "And this is my little sister, Alaina." The pale skinned girl waved meekly.

Karitoru waved back and responded, "It's nice to meet you both, I'm Karitoru. I have to get going now."

He began walking but stopped when Jessica said, "Well we were wondering if you'd like to have lunch with us tomorrow. I mean, the least we can do is use one of our swipes for your lunch." Karitoru smiled and kindly refused their offer. "Please? It would make me feel better about the trouble. I mean you're headed off to detention right now, right?" He felt a wave of embarrassment run through him.

He sighed and responded, "Okay, I guess it's okay then. Is it okay if a couple of my friends come too?"

"Sure!" Jessica replied enthusiastically, "That would actually be even better! I love meeting new people!"

"Okay, well I've really got to get going so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay let's meet in the dining hall." Karitoru agreed and left, smiling to himself because he found Jessica very entertaining. Her sister on the other hand was very cute. She didn't say a word during their little talk just then. Perhaps she was just shy?

**Ooooh mysterious! I really had a good time writing this chapter because it let me show you guys some flashbacks and give you a bit of background for Karitoru and Stephen. I'd also like to give a big thank you to ****Shinymudkip25 for the two new OCs Jessica and Alaina. I am still accepting OCs and I am very open to constructive criticism. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and with that, I'll see you guys next time!**


	5. Chapter 5: Friends

**Hey there everyone! I know I said these updates would come quicker but I sort of had a little writer's block. I know, lame right? But I managed to pull through for this chapter until I was completely satisfied with it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and one particular view caught my eye.**

**Jpmorin93: Thank you for the constructive criticism by pointing out the plot hole that I hadn't really bothered myself with. I just brushed this problem aside when I began writing the story, but inherently, I modeled Pokemon Academy after the common university complete with classrooms, dorms, dining halls, restaurants, labs, arenas and stadium (because it's a pokemon story), and other facilities like pools, lounges, etc. For explaining the lessons and campus, it's not like I can show you a map so you will have to do the best you can by understanding the facilities that will be revealed over time. I will be showing some in-class content to make the story more relatable as you can see in both this and the previous chapters. Since PA is modeled after a university, to address your observation that famous professors and Gym Leaders are at the academy, from my experience at UCLA, many professors go take trips to other states and even countries to give talks or on some other business. In the games, professors are known to have lab attendants so in this AU, the professors have their attendants watch over the lab but they stop in whenever new trainers need pokemon or something like that. For the Gym Leaders, if you've played Gold, Silver, Crystal, Heart Gold, or Soul Silver, you'll know that Misty has her own personal life and Blue is often not in his gym and in Diamond and Pearl, Fantina is not in her gym the first time you pass by Hearthome city so I see no problem with having the gym leaders stop by their gyms when there are challengers (which is not even all the time).**

**Now I hope that I've addressed all your concerns jpmorin93 and that you enjoy this chapter and future chapters. I apologize for presenting this block to all you other readers, I hope it didn't scare you off. Without further ado, let's get into Chapter 5!**

**Chapter 5: Friends**

The next day, Alex was brushing his teeth while Karitoru pulled on Stephens leg to try and get him out of bed. Pikachu was sleeping comfortably on Alex's bed when he heard a thud, awakening him.

"Pika?" He asked as he raised his head with one ear pointed straight up and the other sideways. It hopped out of bed and ran through the restroom to find his trainer standing in their neighbors' room looking at a sluggish Stephen lying on the floor.

Karitoru stifled a laugh as he said, "I asked you to get up nicely." Stephen sighed and started getting ready while the others did so as well. When everyone was ready to go, they headed out to their first class. Because their classes were on a rotating schedule, their first class was their fifth period class, Pokemon Evolution. Although it would be fun to learn about the changes in a pokemon when it goes through evolution, Professor Rowan's lectures were so dry that it was almost impossible to stay awake.

Rowan spoke to the class in a very monotone voice, "When a pokemon such as Chimchar evolves into Monferno, it retains its typing but it may also gain a new—additional—typing. This is very common in many pokemon such as Bunnelby, a normal-type, that evolvs into Diggersby a dual normal/ground-type. Why do they do this? Because it is the goal of evolution to become stronger and by adding a new type, that increases the number and types of moves the pokemon can use." A hand went up and the professor looked at a certain pink hatted girl who was looking at him energetically. "Yes, Serena?" He asked pleasantly.

"If it's true that pokemon that evolve into dual-types evolve this way to get stronger, then why do some pokemon that do this gain weaknesses like Diggersby gaining ice, water, and grass-type weaknesses whereas Bunnelby was only weak to fighting-type moves?"

Professor Rowan took a minute, admiring the insight the young girl had, and responded, "Well you are correct that Diggersby has weaknesses that Bunnelby doesn't, however, it does gain increased defense properties and access to moves that Bunnelby does not have like earthquake to defeat rock, steel, fire, and electric-type pokemon. So in gaining weaknesses, it also gains strengths that it can use against many more opponents." Serena nodded and scribbled furiously in her notebook as Professor Rowan continued. Throughout this exchange in ideas, something strange happened. Alex was paying complete attention to it not only because it involved a beautiful girl but also because it made him think about what Pikachu would be like when it evolved. He looked at the small yellow mouse napping comfortably on his lap as he thought about this.

After his Pokemon Origins class with Professor Juniper and Pokemon Physiology with Professor Ivy, Alex and his friends walked to the dining hall to have lunch. On the way, Karitoru told Alex and Stephen about the girls he met the day before.

"Wait, so she just walked up to you and hugged you?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I thought it was pretty random too," Karitoru responded. "So after she said thanks and introduced herself, she asked if I wanted to have lunch with them today."

"Dayum!" Alex responded. "Not even a week here and you're already handling?!" Stephen started laughing while Karitoru blushed slightly.

The white haired boy replied with a devious grin, "Well I did ask if you guys could come too but I guess I could go alone with the two pretty girls."

Alex thought about it for a second and decided to say, "Karitoru, bro, have I ever told you how awesome of a friend you are?"

"No but you should definitely start," he teased.

"Hey Alex!" The three boys turned to find Brock running towards them.

"Hey, what's up Brock?!" Alex responded as he and his friend greeted each other with handshakes. "These are my friends, Stephen and Karitoru."

"Nice to meet you both." Brock said kindly. "Hey what happened to your roommate?"

"Oh well, you see, when we went to the habitat enclosure to get out pokemon, he got hurt so he's in the hospital for a few days."

"Ouch, that sucks. Are you guys going to visit him today?" They nodded. "Is it okay if I come with you guys?"

"Yeah!" Alex said. "I'm sure Mark would like that."

Karitoru entered the conversation, "Hey, we're going to the dining hall to meet some girls that want to thank me for saving one of them from bullies. You want to come?"

"Yeah! Thanks for inviting me, guys!" Brock responded with a smile.

The four friends arrived in the lunch room and searched for the girls until Stephen spotted a girl with tanned skin waving at them and recognized the freckled girl sitting next to her. He alerted his friends and all four walked over to the girls.

Jessica smiled upon seeing them and said, "Hey! I see you didn't skip out." She hugged Karitoru, but upon pulling apart, she recognized a familiar face. "Brock?!" She went to give him a big hug and his cheeks burned red.

When they pulled apart, he got on one knee, held her hand, and said, "It's great to see your beautiful face, Jessica!"

Alex and the others were confused and Jessica gave an awkward smile and thought to herself _Oh yeah, I forgot he does this_.

Karitoru had to ask, "So, uh, you guys know each other?"

Brock stood up and said, "Yes, we know each other from class last year. Jessica's Spheal was hurt so she had me look at it."

"Wait you're a pokemon doctor?!" Alex asked.

Brock responded, "No, I'm just good with tending to pokemon, that's all."

"Hey, so these are you friends?" Jessica asked. Karitoru nodded and she continued, "Nice to meet you both, I'm Jessica and you guys already met Alaina right?"

Stephen responded, "It was more of a brief encounter than, you know, 'meeting.'" He finished the sentence with air quotes on the last word.

Jessica laughed a little and mimicked Stephen, "Oh, well, now you guys can 'meet' for real." Everyone introduced themselves and the group went to go get their lunch. Jessica swiped her student ID on a scanner that charged her for both her and Karitoru's food while everyone else swiped their own IDs to pay for themselves. The group sat down and started talking, mostly asking questions to get to know each other.

Jessica was speaking, "Well Alaina and I are from the Hoenn Region."

"Hey, I'm from Hoenn too," Stephen responded. "Littleroot Town."

"Wow really?!" asked Jessica. "We're from Pacifidlog Town."

Stephen asked, "Isn't that the really small town built on wood planks?" Alex, Karitoru, and Brock's eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Jessica laughed and rubbed the back of her neck, "Yeah, that's us." A look of determination appeared in her eyes, "That's exactly why I wanted Alaina and myself to come to school here so we can meet new people and learn more about pokemon."

Karitoru inquired, "It seems like there's more to it than that. I know that look in your eye. You want greatness."

Jessica responded with a calm smile, "Yeah…I want to be the Hoenn Champion."

Stephen was calm the entire time but a big grin formed upon hearing this, "You'll have to beat me for that spot…after I defeat the current champion, Steven, of course." The two locked eyes, both feeding each other's determination.

Karitoru noticed that Alaina had not said a single word the entire time that they were at the table so he decided to include her. "And what about you, Alaina?" Her eyes darted to meet his as he continued, "What do you want to do? What's your dream?"

She looked down at the untouched food in front of her as she shrugged in response, "I-I'm not too sure."

The snow haired teen persisted, "Isn't there anything that you'd like to do?"

She looked up at him for a quick second then let her eyes wander as she responded, "I guess I j-just haven't found anything." Karitoru let it go as the group went on to other topics. When lunch ended, they all registered each other on their Pokegears and agreed to hang out later on.

After Karitoru finished detention, he exited Professor Rowan's classroom to find Alex, Stephen, Brock, Jessica, and Alaina all outside sitting in the hallway. He couldn't help but smile at the loyalty of his friends. Stephen, Brock, and Alaina were all doing homework, Jessica was on her Pokegear, and Alex was playing with Pikachu.

"How long have you guys been waiting here?"

Jessica teased, "We were just passing by and decided to sit here like we've been here for a long time."

Karitoru laughed, "I feel so loved." The others started getting up and stretching. "Are we going to visit Mark?"

Alex nodded, "Yeah, I want to see if he'll get out early like the doctor said." His stomach growled. "But first, dinner!"

The others laughed. Brock responded, "Well it would be a good idea to bring Mark something to eat."

"Unless Eric beat us to it again," Stephen commented. Just the mention of that name sent a chill down Karitoru's spine. He stayed quiet, forgetting how to make decisions for himself anymore. He blamed himself for being so weak in that moment when his eyes met Eric's and the worst part is that he knew that the crimson-eyed boy hadn't even tried to scare him.

"Alright then, it's a plan!" Alex said enthusiastically. With that, the group stopped by the dining hall to eat and get food for Mark and headed to the campus hospital afterward. As they walked through the hall getting closer and closer to Mark's room, Karitoru began remembering the older crimson-eyed boy. He couldn't believe someone could scare him like that with just one look but there was something about those eyes that caused it. No! It couldn't be the eyes. Mark had those same eyes. It had to be something those eyes saw.

When the group arrived in front of Mark's room, Alex went first into the room to find his roommate laying down watching television. Mark looked over to the doorway and said, "Hey! I was wondering when you'd stop by. I was starting to feel a bit lonely."

Alex laughed, "Yeah, yeah drama queen. Here we got you some food." He place the take-out box in his friend's hands and gave him a fork. The others walked in after Alex and Mark saw some familiar and unfamiliar faces. He looked at the girls both admiring their beauty and wondering who they were. "Oh yeah! That's Jessica and Alaina." He pointed to each one respectively. "Karitoru saved Alaina from some bullies yesterday so her sister wanted to thank him by treating him to lunch."

Mark looked back at them and responded, "Solid! Nice to meet you both. Are you guys first years too?"

Alaina stayed quiet, making no attempt to respond, as Jessica said, "Well she is. I'm a second year. And of course, this little guy is my partner, Spheal."

"Spheal!" It squeaked enthusiastically.

"Hey Mark," Alex started, causing his roommate to look his way, "So has the doctor said anything about letting you out early?"

"Yeah, I'll be able to leave tomorrow after school but they want either you or Eric to come get me. You think you can come?"

"Uh, sure. Why not Eric?"

"Because we're in the same room? What? Has Pikachu replaced me already?"

Pikachu raised its ear to the sound of its name, "Pika?"

Alex responded, "Yeah, he marked your bed as his territory."

"You better be joking Arceo!" Mark responded.

Alex started again, "So you're brother hasn't come?"

"He was here earlier with Skyla and Elesa—you know, the hot supermodel you have a crush on?" Alex's cheeks burned red as the others laughed.

Jessica's eye lit up as she ran up to Mark, "Wait you've met _the_ Elesa Electra?!"

Mark backed up a bit as he responded, "Y-yeah, she hangs out with my brother."

"You've got to get me her autograph! Here let me give you this picture that I keep in my purse!" She dug around and handed the crimson-eyed boy a photograph of the blonde supermodel.

"I, uh, I can try, but I don't even know if she'll visit again."

Jessica's eyes were set on fire as she glared at him, "Get me that autograph!"

"Okay, okay." _Damn it Alex, out of all the girls at this school, you become friends with a crazy one_.

Jessica reverted to her sweet self and responded with a cheery smile, "Thank you!" The friends all stayed in the room talking until it was time for them to leave. The entire time in the room, Karitoru thought to himself about his friend's older brother. It was really bothering him how strong and intimidating the third year seemed so he resolved that he would have to face this obstacle head on.

The following day, having finished all of their classes and Karitoru got out of detention, Alex and the others went on their way to the hospital to pick up their friend. Alex went into his roommate's room alone to find him sitting on the bed fully dressed. Mark stood up and walked towards Alex.

"No way! You can walk!" Alex teased.

Mark responded, "If I remember correctly, I ended up here because I had to save someone."

"I, uh…hey we should probably get you out of here! You're probably dying to smell some fresh air!" Mark smiled as the two walked back into the lobby and signed out.

As the group walked out, Alex asked, "Alright, so what do you guys want to do?"

Jessica suggested, "Well there's lots of stuff we can do. Hang out in the lounge, go to a restaurant on campus, play a sport, go swimming in the pool."

Karitoru responded, "Well I'm in the mood for training."

Stephen remarked, "You're always in the mood for training."

"You say it like it's a bad thing" Karitoru mumbled.

Alex asked, "Does anyone have a ball?"

"I brought a Frisbee!" Jessica replied enthusiastically.

Brock added on, "Well if Jessica wants to play Frisbee, my heart will follow her into the sport and soar as far as she can throw." Jessica sweat dropped, still not used to her friend's routine.

With that, the group went with Jessica to her dorm, the Weather Dorm, so she could get her Frisbee. They all went to a grassy area outside of Jessica's dorm and set their stuff next a nearby tree. As the group of friends tossed the disk around, laughing when someone would get hit or cheering when someone caught a long or tricky pass, two figures approached them.

One began talking directly to Alex, "I'm sorry but did you come here to train or play like a little kid?" Alex caught the Frisbee and turned to see a familiar and unwelcomed face.

The others looked as Alex exclaimed, "It's you! Paul!" In front of them, stood the purple haired teen accompanied by a green pokemon with a brown shell and two bushed coming out from the back. "Wait a minute is that Turtwig?!"

Paul smirked, "Shows just how much you know. This isn't Turtwig, it's Grotle."

"Grotle?" Alex asked.

Brock answered, "That's the evolved form of Turtwig."

Alex looked back at the green pokemon with wide eyes, "You evolved your pokemon already?!"

Paul responded arrogantly, "Unlike you, I came here to become a strong trainer."

"Hey! I'm going to be the Kanto Champion!"

"And how are you going to do that? By throwing toys around with your little friends?"

Jessica marched up to Paul and angrily said, "Who do you think you are?! You can't talk about me or my friends that way when we're just trying to have a little fun!"

"You're a second year aren't you?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Well then you should know better than your loser friends that to stay at this school, you need to pass a final exam against a challenger of the school's choosing and those proctors are no joke so for you to tell them to play instead of train, means that you're only setting them up for failure."

"That's it, buddy!" Alex yelled, "You and me right now! A pokemon battle."

Paul gave another smirk, "For my Grotle to fight your Pikachu would be like Arceus fighting a Magikarp. I've trained him more which means he's gotten used to my battle style and I've gotten used to his abilities in battle."

Jessica came in again, "So then why don't you battle me? If you're saying that Alex doesn't stand a chance because he and his pokemon don't have experience, then battling against me should be fine right?"

Paul smiled, "Well that would be more of a fair fight. We'll do a two-on-two battle with no substitutions. First person with both pokemon that are unable to battle loses the fight."

Jessica had both determination and anger in her eyes. "Fine by me." The two challengers walked away from each other and turned to face one another.

Brock stood halfway between them on the sidelines and said, "I'll be referee. The battle between Jessica and Paul will now begin." Jessica grabbed one of her pokeballs and enlarged it before tossing it out. A small dog-like pokemon with orange fur and black stripes landed in front of her with its paws touching the grass.

"Let's do this Growlithe!" Jessica called. The orange dog howled in agreement.

Paul tossed out one of his pokeballs and as it opened, he said, "Murkrow, standby for battle!" A black crow with a large yellow beak appeared in front of Paul flapping its wings.

"You can have the first move, hotshot," Jessica taunted.

"Murkrow, use Haze." The black bird opened its mouth to let out black smoke that covered the area, engulfing Growlithe.

"Growlithe, use Flamethrower!" It let out a blast of fire to where it last saw Murkrow but the bird pokemon moved out of the way.

"Use Sky Attack, Murkrow." Using the smoke as a cover, the black bird charged its attack and flew at Jessica's Growlithe. Haze cleared as Murkrow passed through it but Growlithe did not have enough time to react so the attack landed, knocking the dog pokemon out.

Jessica held Growlithe's pokeball and recalled it. "You did good." Her friends looked at her in awe but she smiled, "That was a pretty good strategy: using Haze to cover for you while Murkrow charged its Sky Attack. But Growlithe was one of the last pokemon I caught last year so I haven't battled much with it. Here's one of my stronger ones." She threw out another pokeball to reveal a small pokemon with spiky yellow fur. "Let's do this Jolteon!"

"Murkrow use Air Slash."

"Jolteon, hit it with a Thunderbolt!" The yellow pokemon quickly shot a bolt of electricity at the crow before it could unleash an attack of its own. The attack was super effective, knocking out Paul's pokemon. He recalled Murkrow and looked at his pokeball intently before looking at his Grotle and nudging his head to the unofficial battlefield.

"Grotle!" It responded as it walked in front of its trainer.

"Grotle, use Razor Leaf."

"Dodge 'em Jolteon!" It moved quickly passing through the razor sharp leaves. One managed to cut Jolteon on the leg causing it to slow down.

"Now use Take Down, Grotle." The large grass-type charged towards Jolteon.

As Grotle got closer, Jessica called out, "Use Hidden Power!" Jolteon began to glow blue before a wave of energy radiated from it causing a large amount of damage to Grotle.

Mark asked, to no one particularly, "Hidden Power?"

Brock responded, "It's a move that any pokemon can learn, giving off a wave of energy of a type different than the pokemon that's using it. Seeing as how Jolteon's Hidden Power was effective against Grotle, it can be Hidden Power fire, ice, poison, bug, or flying. I wouldn't expect Jessica to tell us because that would take the 'hidden' out of Hidden Power."

Grotle struggled to stay standing but manage to maintain its stance. Jessica knew the grass-type didn't have much energy left and it definitely wasn't faster than her Jolteon so she simply said, "Thunderbolt…" and the electric-type unleashed another burst of electricity that although ineffective against Grotle, was able to knock it out. Paul recalled his pokemon and looked at Jessica.

"That was a good battle. I see there's still some training I have to do." With that, he began walking away.

Alex took a step forward, "Hey where are you going?! I still want a battle!"

Jessica put a hand on his shoulder. "I hurt his pokemon pretty badly." She looked to Paul. "Take them to one of the campus pokemon centers. The closest one is passing the fossil labs." Paul nodded and continued walking away. When he was gone, Jessica returned Jolteon and her friends congratulated her on her victory. "Thanks everyone, but I'm not even _that_ good. There are some pretty strong trainers here that are no joke. You'll probably see them tomorrow."

**Well that had to be one of the longest chapters I've written for this story! I covered a lot this time because I really wanted to dedicate a whole chapter to the freshmen's first Friday at PA. I also really enjoyed writing the battle between Jessica and Paul because the OC is awesome! There weren't any new OCs this chapter so no shoutouts. I am still accepting OCs so don't be afraid to send them in so I can take a look at them. Stay tuned for next chapter! Legacy, out!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Battle Set

**Hey there everyone! Like I said, the updates are coming more frequently and I am so glad to hear that people are enjoying the story. It really keeps me motivated to write more. Thank you to those who commented, especially to those who said I should keep the line breaks. I didn't add them last chapter because there wasn't any jumping around between Alex and Eric's groups but I will incorporate them later on. I will not use them in this chapter because it doesn't seem like a good use to have line breaks between content on the battle field and content in the stands. I want to give a shout out to ****Robs The Universal Warrior for Matt Roberts and reven228 for Felix Monkswood. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it!**

**Chapter 6: The Battle Set**

At 7:00 in the morning, Mark was dressed and ready for school so he decided to check his email. As he started up his laptop, Alex woke up and sat up rubbing out the drowsiness in his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking my email to see when my counselor's office hours are."

"Oh crap! That's right!" He was loud enough to wake Pikachu up. "I forgot to check when Lenora's office hours are." Alex got out of bed, grabbed his laptop from his bag, and turned it on to check his email as well. "Who's your counselor, by the way?"

"It's some guy named Drayden. He wants to meet with me today after today's battles in his office."

Alex looked through his messages and saw that he got two from Lenora, one on Tuesday and the other the previous day. He clicked on the first one and scanned through it, "Aw crap!"

"What is it?"

"I was supposed to meet her yesterday." He clicked on the second email and read through it. "She sent me another email telling me that she had to reschedule because she couldn't meet yesterday—Alright! It says she wants to meet today after the battles too."

"Looks like you got lucky," Mark responded.

"Yeah, I'm not missing today's meeting for sure." With that, they waited on their neighbors and everyone was ready, they went to breakfast, and then class. The day went by quickly and in no time, it was already lunch and they were done with all five of their classes. Alex, Mark, Karitoru, and Stephen got their food and found Jessica, Alaina, and Brock sitting down together.

"Hey there fresh meat," Jessica teased.

Alex sat down, "You know you're lucky, we can't say anything about sophomores."

"Yeah we can," said Karitoru, "They like the soft ones more."

Jessica replied, "You do realize that I can say that about you guys next year right?"

"Yeah, but by then, the joke will be old" Karitoru said with a confident grin.

Jessica sighed, "Whatever, so are you guys excited to watch your first Battle Set?"

"Battle Set?" asked the four neighbors in unison.

Brock continued for her, "Yeah, a Battle Set is what we call the battles that happen are Fridays. You also get a rank based on your Battle Set record and your exams. You get two ranks. One is your rank in the class and the second is in the school."

"What are your ranks?" Stephen inquired.

Brock thought about it, "Last I checked, which was at the end of last year, I think I was 103rd in my class and 519th in the school."

"What about you Jessica?" Mark asked.

"I think forty-seventh in my class and 405th in the school. I know it's not the best, but for a school with thousands of students, I'm happy where I've gotten. Of course, I still want to get better so that I can eventually be the Hoenn Champion, though."

Karitoru asked Mark, "What rank is your brother?"

"Not sure. Do either of you know?" Jessica shook her head.

Brock responded, "Last I checked, he was in the top ten of his class and top 200 of the school. I think Takuya is too and Brendan is in the top twenty for the class. Skyla and Elesa are within the top fifty of that class and in the two-hundreds for the school."

Alex stood with one foot on his chair and exclaimed, "Well it doesn't matter to me who's what because I'm going to be the strongest trainer of them all!"

Mark tugged on Alex's pants and said, "Dude, everyone's looking at you." Alex looked around to see that his roommate was correct and sat back down.

After eating, it was finally time for the battles. Thousands of students shuffled through the stadium gates, swiping their cards on their way in so the school would know who was present and who wasn't.

As they tried to find seats, Mark said, "Hey, Eric just sent me a message saying that he can save some seats for us."

"Sweet!" Alex said, "Tell him to save seven." Mark sent the message and within seconds got another one telling him to go to Area 1, Row C. They searched for the seats to find Eric, Takuya, Skyla, and Elesa sitting with open seats between them. Noibat was standing comfortably on Eric's shoulder, like always.

"Wow! This is really close up," Mark said as he sat down next to his brother. Alex took his seat between Mark and Elesa, making sure not to look at her too much.

"Eeeeeh!" Everyone turned to Jessica who was holding Elesa's hands in hers. "Oh my gosh! You're Elesa Electra! Mark do you still have that picture?"

"Yeah, uh—"

"Never mind, you're too slow!" She took out another one and handed it to Elesa along with a pen. "Can I please, please, please have your autograph?"

Elesa was confused but she responded, "I, uh, sure. Here…" She took the pen and picture and signed her name for Jessica.

As she handed it back to her, Jessica said, "Thank you so much! I'm Jessica and I absolutely love you! You're so beautiful and your style is so amazing! Can I sit next to you?"

"Uh sure" Elesa said with an awkward smile.

Mark asked, "Hey, where's Volkner?"

Elesa responded, "He's hanging out with his friends." Mark and Alex looked at each other awkwardly. She knew what they were thinking, "Oh we haven't broken up or anything! We just like to hang out with our own friends every once in a while. It's no fun being with each other one hundred percent of the time."

"You're so wise!" Jessica said.

Brock got down on a knee in front of Elesa, "She is isn't she? And she is as wise as she is beautiful, and you are absolutely beautiful."

Elesa gave another awkward smile not knowing what to say to that. Jessica pulled on his ear, "Didn't you hear her says she has a boyfriend?!" The others laughed at their little scene.

Mark turned to Eric and asked, "Hey where's Brendan?"

Eric responded, "Well he's battling today so he has to wait in the dugout over there for his turn to battle," he pointed to a shaded area with almost two dozen students sitting on a bench.

"So are these full on battles?" Karitoru asked. "Six-on-six?" He looked at Eric's eyes remembering the feeling from before, but he could handle it this time. He felt more at ease. There was still something about those eyes that he could see. Something dangerous.

Eric replied, "Well there are eight battles set, six are definitely going to happen today, but the first three are three-on-three because they are usually battles between lower ranks." He rested his feet up on a rail and sat back, "So for now, sit back and enjoy the show."

Down in the field, Cynthia walked to the center and began speaking to the large crowd of students, "Good afternoon everyone! We've made it through our first week of school so how do you all feel?" The crowd erupted in a huge roaring cheer.

Cynthia smiled to herself, "The weekend is just around the corner so I want you guys to start it off with some amazing battles!" The stadium was filled with the sound of students cheering. "So for our first match, we'll be having sophomore, Matt Roberts against sophomore, Bugsy Weevil!" Girls began cheering loudly for Matt so he waved to them as he and Bugsy stepped forward and stood on opposite sides of the battle field. Matt had short brown hair and big hazel eyes. He was wearing a black muscle shirt to show off his muscular build and black jeans. Bugsy had messy purple hair and expedition clothing.

Cynthia walked off of the field and went to sit next to the professors and teachers directly across from where the participants were sitting. A referee wearing a striped black and yellow shirt and black shorts stood with a red flag in his right hand and a green flag in his left.

The referee began to speak, "The battle between Matt Roberts and Bugsy Weevil will now begin!" Both trainers grabbed a pokeball and tossed it out, revealing their first pokemon. On Matt's side was a small pokemon with beige fur around the face, torso, and legs, and green fur on its ears and tail, which was shaped like a leaf.

In the stands, Alex commented, "Whoa! That looks like Jessica's Jolteon!"

Eric responded, "Both Jolteon and Matt's pokemon, Leafeon, are evolutions of a pokemon called Eevee."

Jessica added, "So we call them Eeveelutions!"

On Bugsy's side of the field was a butterfly-like pokemon flapping its wings. "Let's go Butterfree!" He said excitedly. Up on the giant screen were pictures of Matt and Bugsy's faces with three bars on the outer side of their faces to tell how many pokemon have been eliminated from each side. Between their faces were a picture of Leafeon, Butterfree, and two pokeballs on each side to signify the pokemon they are using.

The referee spoke again, "Matt has the first move."

Matt held Leafeon's pokeball and recalled it. He took another one out and threw it, "Let's go, Chimchar!" Up on the giant screen, the second pokeball on Matt's side changed to a Chimchar.

Bugsy took advantage, "Alright, Butterfree use Stun Spore!" The butterfly pokemon began flapping its wings and a yellow dust traveled through the air towards Chimchar.

"Chimchar, use Dig." The orange monkey began digging at the ground, managing to dodge the attack.

Back in the stands, Karitoru asked out loud, "Aren't ground-type moves completely ineffective against flying-type pokemon?"

Takuya responded, "He's not going to attack with Dig. He used it to dodge the Stun Spore and to get Bugsy and Butterfree unsure of what will happen next.

Bugsy looked around at the field trying to figure out where Chimchar would attack from. Matt called out, "Chimchar use Flame Wheel!" A rolling wheel of flames burst through the ground underneath the bug-type and hit it directly, knocking it out. Up on the giant screen, the picture of Butterfree faded into black and white.

Bugsy recalled it and threw another pokeball out to reveal a bee-like pokemon. "You can do it Beedrill! Use Poison Sting!"

"Dodge them!" Beedrill flew towards Chimchar thrusting its stingers at it while the little monkey moved away from them until one attack landed. Chimchar went back and landed on the ground but it managed to get back up. Suddenly, a purple mist surrounded it.

The announcer spoke, "Oh no, ladies and gentlemen! It seems Chimchar has been poisoned! What will Matt do now?"

Chimchar nodded to its owner signaling that it was still good to battle. Matt nodded to show it that he understood, "Chimchar, use flame wheel." The fire-type began rolling and fire surrounded it as it moved towards Beedrill landing a direct hit. The bee pokemon lowered in altitude but was still okay to fight.

"Beedrill use Pin Missile!" It shot a barrage of stingers at Chimchar who moved to dodge them but a couple landed. The attack was ineffective and not enough to make him faint.

"Chimchar is looking in bad shape. Will Matt continue fighting him or give him a break?" The announcer said.

"Chimchar, use Ember."

"Dodge it!"

"Fury Swipes!" A shot of fire flew at Beedrill but it dodged it. Chimchar used the opening and began clawing at the bug-type, knocking it out.

"It looks like Bugsy is down to one pokemon, ladies and gentlemen!"

Bugsy threw out his last pokemon. "Let's go Scyther!"

_Damn, that thing's fast_, Matt thought to himself. "Chimchar return!"

"Pursuit!" As Matt was about to recall Chimchar, Scyther intercepted and attacked the little monkey, knocking it out. Now, the picture of Chimchar on the giant screen became black and white.

"Let's go Pikachu!" Many girls from the audience began aweing at the sight of Matt's adorable pokemon.

Alex and his Pikachu were amazed at the sight of another Pikachu. "Whoa! He has a Pikachu too!"

Brock responded, "Yeah, but you see that V-shaped notch at the end of its tail?" Alex nodded. "That means it's a female Pikachu." Alex grabbed his Pikachu's tail and searched for a notch.

"Okay so you're a boy," he said. Pikachu nodded with a smile.

Down on the battle field, Matt commanded his Pikachu, "Use Quick Attack!" The yellow mouse picked up massive speed and rammed into Scyther.

"Use X-Scissor!"

"Block it with an Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Its tail became silver and as hard as iron as it spun and the two attacks collided.

"Now finish it with a Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-ka-chu!" A surge of electricity filled the stadium and when it cleared, Scyther was on the floor unconscious.

The referee announced as he raised the red flag, "The winner is Matt Roberts!" The crowd cheered for Matt as he waved and winked at girls in the audience that caught his eye.

Alex thought to himself _What a show-off_.

"Well that was an interesting first match" Eric commented. "Matt sure knows how to make an impression with the ladies.

Skyla replied, "Yeah, but he's got nothing on you." Eric smiled at the red-headed girl.

Mark asked, "Wait, you know him?"

"Not personally but the name of the game is to make a name for yourself. If you want respect or recognition, you need to win battles and Matt wins a good amount of them. Of course, winning battles isn't everything. You need to stand out. Matt's a huge ladies man so people call him the Battle Stud." Alex and the other first years laughed at the name, except Alaina who remained quiet.

They turned their attention back to the battle field as the next battle went on its way. One after another, students fought against each other until it was Brendan's turn. When Cynthia had announced his name, Skyla and Elesa cheered as loud as they could for their friend as he stepped onto the battle field.

Cynthia continued, "And his opponent will be sophomore, Felix Monkswood."

Skyla and Elesa stopped cheering and looked at their friend's opponent with horror in their eyes. Alex and his friends looked at them unsure of why they were like that. Mark turned to find his brother who had a serious expression. Even Takuya looked nervous as he clenched teeth together hard.

Mark asked, "Eric, what's wrong?"

Eric simply said, "His opponent is known as the Toxic Executioner."

Felix was a very tall, standing over six feet tall. He had purple hair spiked upwards, dark brown eyes, and tan skin. His clothing made a statement. He wore a striped black and white long-sleeved shirt, black pants, and black boots. To finish his outfit, he wore a painter's mask with purple skull and crossbones painted on it which was covering the bottom half of his face, and a standard sports watch on his wrist.

Brendan and Felix threw out their first pokemon. Brendan started off with his Slugma and Felix chose his Crobat. The purple bat flapped its four wings quickly as it awaited for its command. The referee spoke, "Felix will get the first move."

Felix commanded his Crobat, "Use Mean Look."

"Now Brendan's Slugma is trapped!" the announcer said.

Felix recalled Crobat and sent out his Nidoqueen. "Use Earthquake." The battle field began shaking and the tremor knocked out Brendan's Slugma.

Brendan thought to himself, _Shit! Takuya said not to use any of my grass-types but that's still not helping!_ "Good job Slugma, go Swampert!"

Felix recalled his Nidoqueen and sent out his Roserade.

Eric quickly got up from his seat, making Noibat flap its wings so it wouldn't fall, and called out "Come on ref! He can't be doing that!" The ref heard but ignored Eric's words. The crimson-eyed boy gripped the rail hard and everyone in the group stared at his intensity. Noibat landed safely on Eric's shoulder as Skyla stood up from her seat and placed a hand on his to try calming him down a bit.

"Roserade, use Giga Drain." Roserade stole Swampert's health but Brendan's pokemon stood strong.

"You okay Swampert?" It nodded and made its call giving its trainer confidence. "Use Ice Beam!" Swampert shot a blast of ice at Roserade, instantly knocking it out.

Felix tossed another pokeball to reveal his Crobat, "Use Mean Look." Swampert was trapped in the battle. "Use Acrobatics."s The bat pokemon did an array of aerial movements before landing a hit on Swampert, knocking it out.

Brendan sent out another pokemon. He needed to keep his focus "Let's go Swellow!" His bird pokemon flapped its wings awaiting a command. "Use Brave Bird!" Swellow flew up and then down towards Crobat in a speedy assault that connected with its opponent but left it with recoil damage.

Crobat was still flapping its wings. "Use Cross Poison." The bat pokemon slashed Swellow with toxic wings, knocking it out."

As Brendan called back his third pokemon, he was starting to get frustrated. Felix already had him down halfway when only one of his pokemon was knocked out. "I choose you, Pelipper! Use Stockpile!" Pelipper began storing energy in its mouth.

"Cross Poison." Crobat slashed Pelipper but it withstood the attack.

"Another Stockpile!" Pelipper repeated the move.

"Got you. Crobat, use Mean Look." It gave Pelipper a bad look preventing it from leaving the battle.

Brendan said, "Fine with us! Another Stockpile!"

Back in the stands, Alex asked, "What is he doing? Why hasn't he attacked?!"

Eric, who was still standing, responded, "He's trying a different strategy. He's trying to defend to slow Felix down."

Felix commanded, "Crobat, use Confuse Ray."

Brendan's eyes opened from shock as the flashing ball connected with Pelipper, confusing it. _Crap! He planned this! I can't escape and I can't ask Pelipper to do anything or it might hurt itself!_

"Use Cross Poison until he's finished." Crobat attacked Pelipper with a flurry of toxic wings until the bird pokemon fell out of the sky.

Brendan couldn't believe how easily his pokemon were being defeated. Eric felt so useless, unable to help as his friend was humiliated and his pokemon poisoned. Skyla knew that on the inside, he was beating himself up so she wrapped her free hand around his arm. She felt his intensity lessen but he was still anxious. Normally, he would've shrugged her off and kept playing hard to get, but he needed someone at that moment, and no one was better for that than Skyla.

Brendan sent out his Wailmer, unsure of what it could possibly do at this point. "Use Water Pulse!"

"Dodge it then use Cross Poison." Wailmer was stricken with poison.

_Shit!_ "Now, use Brine!" water cascaded down onto Crobat and because Wailmer was hurt, its power was doubled, knocking it out..

Felix sent out his Nidoqueen again. "Use Superpower." Nidoqueen hit Wailmer with great power knocking it out.

Brendan was reluctant to send out his last pokemon because although he knew it had a move that gave him type advantage, he was scared of Felix and his pokemon. He threw out the pokeball determined to not go down without a fight. Camerupt came out onto the field.

Both Brendan and Felix called out at the same time, "Earthquake!" Both tremors were super effective against both pokemon knocking them out.

The crowd was silent, not from disbelief of Brendan's loss, but from fear of Felix. The announcer spoke, "That was an amazing battle, everyone! Third year, Brendan Ruby was defeated by second year, Felix Monkswood but the guy certainly had a lot of energy." Brendan walked over to shake Felix's hand but the purple haired teen maintained a serious expression and turned away.

Eric gripped the railing with all his strength trying to control his anger but at last, when he was about to yell, Alex came up next to him against the railing and shouted, "Hey! You can't disrespect him like that! It was a good battle and he deserves a handshake!" His face appeared on the giant screen as everyone except himself, those around him, and those on the field looked up at it.

Felix stopped and turned to face him, giving the boy a smug look, "What could you possibly know about a good battle, first year? Yeah I know you're a first year because of the way you act. You're rash and impulsive when you really have nothing to back it up. Are you going to send that pathetic Pikachu out against my team?" As Felix spoke, Alex felt himself weaken. "I don't respect anyone that can't beat me in battle because they don't deserve it." With nothing else to say and Alex and his friends quiet, Felix simply walked back to the dug out. Brendan followed but sat far away from his victor.

The event continued and the audience watched the last two battles until the last pokemon was down. "Well there you have it everyone!" Cynthia said. "I'd like to congratulate all of the students who battled today, you all made me proud as your dean. With nothing else left, you may all exit the stadium and I hope you all have a good weekend!" Everyone in the crowd cheered except for Alex, Eric, and their friends who were silent.

After everyone was outside, the group waited for Brendan who came out with a girl by his side. She had brown hair and a red bow. She wore a sleeveless red short, white shorts, and red and yellow shoes.

Eric walked up to Brendan, "Hey, you did great out there!"

Brendan smiled, "May already gave me a pep talk. Is it cool if we just hang out?"

Eric smiled and nodded. He turned to his younger brother and his friends and said, "Well we're going to get going to I guess we'll see each other around."

"Yeah," Mark responded. With that, Eric's group went off on their own way, and Alex and Mark said goodbye to their friends to go meet with their counselors.

**This chapter was getting really long so I decided to cut it here and we'll continue where we left off next time! I am still accepting OCs so if you have an idea for a character and want to see him/her in the story, send it in! I hope you all continue reading and enjoying the story. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas regarding the story, leave a review and I will answer/address them in my author's notes. See you all next time, Legacy, out!**


	7. Chapter 7: Chilling After School

**What's up everyone?! I'm back with another chapter of Pokemon Academy! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I care about what you guys think about the story and I'm so glad that I've earned some loyal readers. I also want to say thanks to those who submitted an OC. Without further ado, let's get into this chapter!**

**Chapter 7: Chilling After School**

Mark waited outside his counselor's room patiently awaiting a response. _I think this is the right room_, he thought to himself.

He heard a gruff voice from inside say, "Come in!" Mark entered the office to find Drayden sitting behind a desk. This man had neat white hair and an unusual white beard, styled to resemble a dragon's jaw, which covered his mouth. He wore a white striped collar shirt with the sleeves rolled up, an oddly-shaped green tied, purple suspenders, light gray pants, and dark purple shoes. "Ah Mark, I see you're doing well. How's the leg?"

Mark felt at ease with Drayden's friendliness. Despite the older man's tough exterior, he was quite welcoming. "It's good now."

"That's good. Well come have a seat." Drayden gestured towards the chair in front of him with his hand and Mark did as he was told. "What did you think of the battles today?"

"They were really interesting! I actually don't have that much experience with battling so seeing how skilled the challengers were was really cool."

Drayden nodded as Mark spoke and when the boy was done, he took a second before asking, "Isn't your brother Eric?"

Mark politely responded, "Yes."

"And you've never seen him battle before?"

"No, he's only showed me a few of his pokemon so I don't know much about it."

"I see. I don't know if you already know this but I also happen to be your brother's counselor and I thought that I'd meet his younger brother. You see, as a counselor, I feel like it's my responsibility to help the students under my supervision to achieve not only success in academics and as a trainer, but also in life. I also like to look at my students' pokemon to see what condition they are in so if there is anything you'd like to tell me or if you'd like me to look at your pokemon, you have my email and you can stop by for a visit during my office hours which are from three to five. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Mark wanted to ask what his brother was like as a student but he'd rather not be so forward about it. "Are there mandatory meetings or can I just stop by whenever I'd like?"

"There are some mandatory meetings like today. For those, I will email you ahead of time but they are not very frequent. I do also like to get my students together for excursions like a trip I have every year to Dragon Peak."

"Where's that?"

"It is on one of the neighboring islands. That trip isn't until later on in the year, though."

"What do we go there for?"

It was impossible to tell if Drayden was smiling but from the sound of his voice, it sounded like he was. "Well that is a surprise but I will tell you that every year, my students come back happy with the trip." There was a moment of silence between them. "Well it is the weekend and I'm sure you have plans with friends so I'll let you go now." Mark said goodbye, shook his counselor's hand, and went outside to call his friends.

Mark searched for Stephen's number, unsure if Alex was done meeting with his counselor or not, and called it. "Hello?" He heard from the other end.

"Hey Stephen, it's Mark!"

"Hey, did you finish your meeting?"

"Yeah, where are you guys?"

"Well we're just hanging out in the lounge of Brock's dorm. Wait hold on a second." Mark heard murmurs through the line and Stephen came back. "Hey, Alex just called Jessica and he said he's on his way."

"Alright I'm on my way too." After walking through campus, Mark arrived in front of Brock's dorm and had to call the tan skinned boy to let him in. Alex was already inside the lounge looking at something in his Pokegear. Alaina was drawing in her notebook and Stephen was listening to music as he watched Karitoru and Jessica play pool.

Alex looked up and smiled when he saw his roommate. "Alright everyone's here! Let's go catch some pokemon!"

Mark had a confused expression on his face, "I'm sorry, what did I miss?"

Alex stood up, "Well after seeing how much Paul's improved, you know, with Turtwig evolving and his new Murkrow, I've decided that I don't want to lose to that guy." The others were silent. They understood how he felt. "So I'm definitely going to get more pokemon and get stronger!"

Mark smiled, "Alright let's go for it then!" As the group exited the dorm building, Mark asked, "Wait, so are we going into the enclosure for more pokemon?"

"No," Brock responded, "The pokemon inside the enclosure are there only for first years to catch for their first pokemon. We can't even go inside without authorization."

"So where are we supposed to catch pokemon?" Karitoru asked.

"Well there's a huge forest north of campus that ends with a mountain at the end of the island," Jessica replied as she and her friends exited the building.

Alex went to the head of the group, "Well I just can't wait! Let's go!"

"Pika!" Alex started running towards the forest with Pikachu riding happily on his shoulder. The others ran after him as the number of buildings decreased and the number of trees increased.

"Alex! Slow Down!" Jessica called.

"There's no use," Mark said as he passed by her. "Hey Karitoru, don't you have detention with Rowan?"

"He told me I didn't have to come today because he didn't want to hold me back from my weekend. So by that he meant he didn't want to spend his afternoon in a classroom with me."

Mark laughed, "Well it doesn't matter which it is because you get to hang out with us now."

"Shh!" Mark stopped himself when Jessica's hand was centimeters away from his. Alex was at the front of the group looking closely at a bush.

Mark whispered, "What is it?"

Jessica responded quietly, "Hold on, there might be a pokemon in there."

Alex looked at Pikachu, "Hey buddy can you go check it out?"

"Pika!" The yellow mouse jumped off of his trainer's shoulder and proceeded cautiously towards the bush until a small purple rat jumped out of the bush, pounced on Pikachu, and took off running.

"What the Distortion World is that?!" Alex asked.

"It's a Rattata!" Jessica responded.

"Don't let it get away, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu took aim and shot a stream of electricity at the frantic purple rat. The attack landed and the wild pokemon dropped. The group huddled around it checking to see if it was okay. "D-did I kill it?" Alex started feeling guilty as he looked at the motionless rat pokemon.

"No, of course not!" Jessica replied. "It just….fainted! We should leave it alone, so it can rest." She put an arm around Alex and led him away with the rest of the group following behind. A few minutes passed by as the group walked through the forest for two hours until they started walking back to campus.

Alex slumped his shoulders, "Two hours of walking around a forest and nothing!"

Stephen said, "Well at least nothing for you. I caught the Eletrike remember? And Mark got a Machop."

"Besides," Karitoru added, "The rest of us didn't get anything either so don't beat yourself up about it."

"Yeah, I guess…" Alex responded as he continued walking. He stopped when he heard chuckling and giggling. He sighed as he turned around, "I swear to Arceus, if any of you put a 'Kick Me' sign on my back you're gonna'—" He stopped when he saw the others dying to laugh, except for Alaina who was just smiling. "What?" Pikachu looked up and started laughing too. "What?!"

"Um…" Alaina pointed above Alex. He looked up but didn't see anything.

Mark laughed, "Dude, take off your hat!" Alex took it off to find a tiny bird pokemon on it. "What's so funny about a…" The Pidgey flapped its wings and started flying away. "Oh you mother…" Everyone erupted into laughter, even Alaina giggled, as Alex angrily chased after the bird pokemon for defecating on his hat. Alex, with his hat in hand and Pikachu running beside him, ran through campus following Pidgey making sure not to lose sight of it. For thirty minutes straight, the boy ran until he just couldn't anymore and flopped right on the grass next to one of the cafés on campus, RatiCafé. Pikachu walked dizzily to Alex before falling down right next to him. The boy huffed, "Stupid…freaking…bird...pokemon…" Suddenly, he felt paper cover his face and quickly reacted by sitting up straight. The napkin that was on his face fell to his lap and he could see Pidgey standing next to his hat. Alex smiled, "Oh, I get it! You were just messing around!" Pidgey nodded as he started laughing. "And they say bird pokemon have small brains." He stood up and picked up his hat to wipe the bird droppings off of it. "You know, this isn't going to clean it right? I have to wash it now." Pidgey looked down feeling guilty. "But…" The bird pokemon looked up, "How would you like to make it up to me by joining my team?"

It nodded "Pidgey!"

"Awesome!" Alex put his hat back on and tossed a pokeball at Pidgey. Pidgey transformed into energy as it went inside and the pokeball shook until it made a clicking noise. "Alright! I've caught a Pidgey! Wait 'til I tell everyone!" He called Mark and agreed to meet everyone in the lounge of Brock's dorm. Brock let him in and as Alex walked into the lounge, he said, "Guess what guys!"

Stephen, who apparently could hear through deafening music coming from his headphones, responded, "You caught the Pidgey."

"I caught the—" Alex looked at him, "Well thanks for ruining the surprise!"

Stephen shrugged his shoulders, "Not much surprise seeing as how you would've stormed in here if you didn't catch it."

"Oh yeah…well anyway, I'm happy now!" He sat down on the couch next to Alaina and made himself comfortable.

* * *

Eric and his friends swiped their cards on scanners, unlocking the rotating metal bars that blocked their path, and gained entrance to the stadium. This was the Ethan Gold Memorial Stadium, one of the smaller stadiums on campus which were used by students to train during their free time. There weren't too many other students on the battle fields. Eric and Takuya immediately took one of the dirt fields and brought out their pokemon while everyone else was still setting their stuff on a nearby bench.

Skyla walked onto the dirt ground and teased, "Can you guys go any slower?"

Eric quickly rebutted, "Is that what you said when you were getting double teamed last night?" Takuya, Brendan, and May started laughing as Skyla's face burned red with embarrassment. She forgot how much of a smartass her friend was. Eric walked over to her and hugged her, "I'm kidding rosy." That was his nickname for her because of how often her cheeks would turn red.

Takuya called out, "Hey get a room!"

Eric looked at him and responded, "If you spent the night in Brendan's room we could." Takuya laughed as his crimson-eyed friend walked over to his side of the field. "You ready Lucario?" The blue bipedal dog-like pokemon that stood before him nodded and made its cry as it got into its fighting position.

"We've got this Haxorus!" Takuya said. The green dragon-type pokemon awaited its first command. "Use Earthquake." Haxorus took a massive step forward causing the ground beneath them to shake.

"Quick, use Aura Sphere on the ground." Blue energy formed around Lucario's paws as he used it to form a ball of energy that he shot at the ground to launch himself into the air. "Now aim an Aura Sphere at Haxorus." He did as he was told, launching another blue energy sphere at his opponent, causing a good amount of damage.

The dirt rose from the impact as Takuya called out "Use Dragon Claw!" The large green dragon ran through the puff of dust with its claws surrounded by purple energy. Before Lucario could land and dodge, Haxorus slashed it with its claws, sending it flying backwards. Even though Lucario was resistant to dragon-type moves, Takuya trained his Haxorus well, focusing primarily on its attack power.

"You okay, Lucario?" He nodded to his trainer. "Use Nasty Plot." Lucario stood still and closed its eyes as three clouds, each with a question mark, appeared above it. Lucario opened its eyes, causing the clouds to pop.

"Hit him with a Dragon Pulse!" Haxorus opened its mouth to unleash a colorful beam of energy that hit Lucario. The dog-like pokemon fought to resist the attack, and was pushed back, leaving a trail in the dirt.

"Aura Sphere!" The blue aura appeared around Lucario's hands again as he fired another blast, pushing back the Dragon Pulse until both attacks were halfway between the two pokemon. Neither team wanted to lose to the other, especially since they had been rivals since freshman year and had competed in absolutely everything. The attacks reached a point of overload and exploded between them, and the force pushed both pokemon back. Eric and Takuya looked at each other before turning their attention to the fainted pokemon lying before them. They both recalled their pokemon, thanked them for their efforts, and each tossed out another pokeball.

* * *

The campus sat in darkness illuminated only by its light poles and the full moon resting peacefully above in the sky. It was about 9:00 at night and most students were in their dorms, but others were either walking around or participating in activities. Eric looked down at his classmates from the bell tower on campus—he sat comfortably with his back against a pillar and his leg dangling over the edge. This was his favorite spot when he wanted to think about things. Noibat perched itself up on the threshold of the tower above its owner watching the students go about their business.

"One of these days you're going to fall right off." Eric didn't turn. He knew the only person that knew about his favorite spot was Skyla. She walked over and sat down with her back leaning against the pillar across from his.

Without taking his eyes away from a group of students singing acapella, he asked "And what if I do?"

Skyla looked down at the students and replied with a soft smile, "Then I'd miss you, of course, silly." She turned to look at him and she found herself unable to stop staring at those beautiful red orbs. Despite the fear they often brought in others, she loved looking at them. Eric could peer into the soul of any individual his eyes came in contact with, but she could look directly into his. After a few minutes of silence, she asked, "What are you thinking about?"

He was quiet for a second before responding, "I'm thinking about who I'm going to train tomorrow."

Skyla smiled and rolled her eyes, "Is training all you can think about?"

"Not much else to do…unless you want to stop by my room tomorrow." He had a confident grin on his face.

Her smile grew wider, "Tell Takuya to go do something for an hour."

"Thirty minutes."

"Forty-five."

Eric couldn't help but smile, "Fine, forty-five."

They were silent for a moment before Skyla said, "We should be getting back before curfew."

Eric continued looking down before finally getting up and walking with Skyla. Noibat heard its owner's footsteps so it flew down and landed on Eric's shoulder. Together they walked back to their dorms, to get some rest for the next day.

**I know this was a really short chapter but I felt like I needed to wrap up this day and I think I actually covered a lot this chapter. I'm still accepting OCs so pm me profiles. I haven't posted the criteria in a while so here's an updated version: name, age, gender, year at the academy OR if not a student, their relation to the story (i.e. teacher, family, someone from a character's past, etc.), background, team (if a student or a trainer), and moveset. Everything else, we'll discuss through private message. I want to start doing polls so here's the first one:**

**Poll of the Day: What's your favorite starter?**

**I will announce the winner of each poll on the following chapter and I will also be accepting suggestions for polls. Also, if there's anything you'd like to see happen, let me know in the reviews. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter! Legacy, out!**


	8. Chapter 8: Day at the Beach

**Hey there everyone! I'm back with another chapter! I was supposed to submit this a few days ago but I spent the weekend at my cousin's house which is good because we talked about the story a bit because I got stuck like halfway through this chapter not knowing what to write. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed and submitted OCs. Shout out to SanguineRose123 for both OCs that we will see this chapter. So the winner of last chapter's poll is…drum roll please…it's a tie! It was between Mudkip and Charmander. Spoilers of the next chapter to whoever can guess my favorite starter. So with all of that out of the way, let's get on with this chapter!**

**Chapter 8: Day at the Beach**

The morning sun shined through Alex and Mark's window, illuminating it slightly as the boys and Pikachu slept peacefully. Mark was lying on his side facing the wall while his roommate was sleeping with his head close to the edge of his bed, and his foot up against the wall. Pikachu was calmly lying on his pillow with his tail wagging slowly near Alex's face. There were three knocks on the door but they weren't enough to wake any of them. After a few seconds without answer, there were three loud knocks, and the boys still slept through it. Finally, there were three loud bangs which woke all three of them up. Mark's eyes flew open as Pikachu was startled and used Thunderbolt on Alex.

"Pikachu! No!"

Alex landed on the floor and Pikachu apologized softly, "Pika pi."

Mark laughed as he got up and went to go answer the door. He opened it to find Jessica and Alaina standing outside dressed for swimming and holding surfboards. Jessica wore a blue bikini underneath an open white hoodie and jean shorts while Alaina sported a wet suit and both had satchels slung around their shoulders. Jessica's shorts and bikini top showed off her body and although Alaina was covered up, the tight suit accentuated her curves. As soon as Alex saw Jessica in her bikini, he bolted to the door and pushed Mark aside.

"Whoa! I don't remember ordering cute surfer chicks!"

Jessica laughed and Alaina blushed as the older sister replied, "Why thank you! Me and Alaina are going down to the beach, do you guys want to come?"

"Definitely!" Alex responded as he went to his closet to grab a pair of swimming trunks.

Mark laughed to himself, "We'll meet you guys in the lobby. Want us to ask Karitoru and Stephen?"

"They're next door aren't they?"

Mark nodded, "Yeah."

"Then we'll tell them while you guys get ready."

"Okay sounds like a plan." The girls started walking over to the next door while Mark closed his and went to go get ready, making sure to pack a towel and extra clothes. When they were both ready, they went next door to find Karitoru ready but Stephen pretending like he was asleep.

Alex said, "Well I'm surprised you're not pulling him off of his bed."

"He doesn't want to go so there's no need to force him," Karitoru responded. "School is different because he has to go."

"Makes sense," Mark replied. "So you guys ready?" Alex and Karitoru nodded and they went to the first floor to find a couple guys talking to Jessica and Alaina. Before Alex and the others got there, the two strangers said goodbye to the girls, oblivious to the others approaching. "Who were they?"

Jessica responded nonchalantly, "Just two guys that walked up to us and wanted our numbers."

Mark joked, "Uh-oh Alex, we've got a bigger flirt than you now."

Alex responded with a smug smirk, "Don't hate the player, hate the game."

Jessica walked by him, passing him her surf board, as she said, "Well every player gets an injury at one point or another." She walked away, making sure to move her hips. Absolutely speechless, the boys and Alaina followed Jessica out of the building.

Mark asked, "So how are we getting to the beach?"

"We're taking a bus," Jessica responded.

"Aw crap, I left my money in my room!" Alex said as he was about to take off running towards the dorm.

Jessica grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, "No need for that, the bus rides are free for students."

"Seriously dude," Karitoru responded, "Did you even bother reading the school guide?"

"The what now?" Alex asked as he scratched the back of his head.

Karitoru sighed, "Nevermind." The group got to the bus stop where they met up with their brown haired friend, Brock. He had a dark green shirt with orange swimming trunks and a brown and orange backpack carrying everything he'd need for the beach.

"Hey Alaina, do you need some help with your board?" he asked politely.

Alaina's face dropped slightly, "No, I'm okay."

"Come on Laina!" Jessica said with a smile on her face as she elbowed her gently but hard enough to make her accidentally drop her board. Brock quickly grabbed it.

"O-okay" Alaina said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" Brock said with a friendly smile. "Hey, no Stephen today?"

"He wanted to sleep so I decided I'd let him off easy today" Karitoru responded.

"Well he does like his sleep" Brock responded. The group waited for about five minutes before a bus came and took them to the beach. Once the bus made its stop, Alex jumped off the bus and started running towards the sand with Jessica's board in hand.

"Wait!" Jessica said as she exited the bus stop. "He's really energetic isn't he?"

"Try living with him," Mark responded as he got off the bus. The rest of the group followed Alex until they reached a nice spot not too close and not too far from the water.

Jessica took a blanket out of her bag and set it on the sand with her and Alaina's bags on top. "So I'm going to get an umbrella, guard my stuff, 'kay?" She wasn't talking to anyone specifically but Mark nodded knowing Alex was going to run into the water and not seconds later, he was proven right as the green-eyed boy and his Pikachu ran and splashed into the waves.

He started rubbing sunblock on himself then gestured to Karitoru with the bottle, "Want some?"

"Sure," he replied. Alaina and Brock had brought their own sunblock so Mark didn't bother offering any to them. Because Alaina was wearing a wet suit, she only put it on her hands, forearms, feet, and face. Jessica returned with an umbrella and opened it to provide shade for them and their belonging.

"Laina, can you pass me the sunblock?" Alaina passed the bottle to her older sister and finished rubbing the lotion into her pale skin. "Hey, where's Alex?"

Mark pointed to the water with his thumb, "Having fun."

Jessica laughed, "Well good! The waves are looking great right now so I'm gonna' catch some hang time!" As she grabbed her surf board, she turned to Alaina, "You coming sis?"

"Mhm!" Alaina said as she followed her sister closely. As the girls walked down to the water, they received many looks from both guys and girls—desire from the guys and jealousy from the girls. Even Mark, Karitoru, and Brock watched as they walked away.

Mark joked, "Dude, I'm so glad you saved Alaina."

Karitoru chuckled, "Yeah, me too. And not just because she and her sister are cute, but I don't like bullies so I'm glad she's safe."

Mark smiled. "Hey I've got an idea!" Karitoru and Brock looked at him confused. "I know who'd like to come out and play!" He reached for his pokeballs and tossed them in the air to release Squirtle and Machop.

"Squirtle! Squirt!"

"Machop!"

"Good idea!" Brock said as he tossed out two pokeballs to reveal his Lombre and Marshtomp. Karitoru called out his Pancham who locked eyes with Machop immediately and gave it a competitive glare.

Their owners noticed this. Mark laughed, "Hey, how about a castle building competition?"

"Three against two, huh? I like those odds," Karitoru responded. "Let's go!"

"Wait," Mark said. "Who's gonna' watch the stuff?"

"I've got it" Brock said. "Just don't take _too_ long. I want to have some fun too," he joked. "Oh and can you guys take Lombre and Marshtomp to the water?" The first years agreed and went with the pokemon to a nice clear spot with wet sand to begin their castle building.

Down by the water, Lombre and Marshtomp went to join Alex and Pikachu. "Huh? Where did you two come from?"

"They're Brock's pokemon!" He looked up to see Mark calling out to him. "He's watching the stuff but he wanted them to come down and play!"

"Gotcha'!" Alex responded as he and the pokemon splashed each other and ran into the waves. Further out into the water, Jessica and Alaina were sitting on their boards waiting for a big wave to come along.

"Hey Laina," Jessica started as her sister turned in response to her nickname. "I haven't asked you this yet, but how are you liking Pokemon Academy?"

"It's nice" she said meekly.

"I know you're not much of a talker but I wanted you to come so you can meet new people and pokemon and have some new experiences. I mean, there's not much you can experience from a small town built on wooden planks."

"I know…"

"Have you been sitting with our friends in class?"

"No…"

"Why not?"

"I don't know them that well."

"We've hung out with them every day for the past four days. You should start hanging out with them."

"They only hang out with me because I hang out with you." Alaina looked down at her board.

"That's totally not true!" Jessica spotted a large wave approaching. "But if you really think that, then show them you're much more than that." She moved her head in the direction of the wave then gave her sister a gentle smile. Alaina nodded, not really sure if this would work, and began swimming on her board towards the wave. As she reached the base, she stood up, and rode the concave of water, smoothly grinding her board against it to the end. Jessica smiled because she knew that her sister loved surfing more than anything else. It was where she felt most at peace, like no one could bring her down when she was riding the waves on her board. Alaina came back to her sister who had a huge grin on her face.

Alaina couldn't help but give a meek smile as she asked, "What?"

Jessica reduced her facial expression from a huge grin to a gentle smile as she responded, "Nothing," and swam away to catch the next wave.

* * *

Back on campus, Stephen walked around on the quad listening to "Do I Wanna Know" and watching as other students passed by. He didn't really have a destination, he was just walking around to kill time and he wasn't regretting not going to the beach with everyone. He just really wanted to sleep in for once and he got to stay in bed until noon that day. He passed by something that caught his interest, the Ethan Gold Memorial Stadium. He decided to check it out because he was sure that there would be students training. After swiping his card and entering, he walked to the battle fields where he saw all twelve of the small battle fields occupied and students standing in line to use them. He noticed that some students were sitting outside of the fields just watching the battles so he decided that there wouldn't be much point in waiting in line for a battle when he only had two pokemon that didn't have too much experience with battling so he decided he'd have a seat and watch. There weren't enough students to fill up the first row but he wanted to sit in seclusion to he sat in the fourth row.

Down on the battle fields, there were pokemon exchanging blows and some fainted from defeat. He saw a variety of pokemon and battle styles. Some used weather conditions in battle while others used specific types of pokemon and others focused on different attributes like building a strong defense or attacking all out.

One particular battle caught his interest in which one trainer defeated her opponent with nothing but her Abomasnow. This girl was of average height with wavy brown hair that barely passed her shoulders, dark gold eyes, and a beauty mark on her cheek near her right eye. She wore a purple off-the-shoulder shirt, a grey tank top underneath, black jeans, and black round-toe pumps which added about two inches to her height. To complete her outfit, she wore a lilac colored choker with a keystone embedded in it.

_What the?!_ Stephen thought, _That's the same stone Karitoru and Eric have. I wonder what's up with those things._

"She's good isn't she?" Stephen turned to see, what seemed like, another student sitting next to him with one foot on the seat in front and his arms resting on the seat behind him. He wasn't looking at Stephen, but the black haired teen knew that he was the one that spoke. This young man had wavy ear-length blonde hair and green eyes. He wore a grey dress-shirt, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers.

Stephen looked at him and simply responded, "Yeah…"

A gentle smiled formed on the stranger's face as he turned to Stephen and said, "The name's Laim." He placed his hand before him.

With caution, Stephen shook the blonde teen's hand and replied, "Stephen." Both teenagers looked back at the battlefields, specifically at the girl, but she was already leaving. "Do you know her?"

"I see her around. Why?"

"What's that thing she has on her choker?"

A mischievous grin grew on Liam's face as he responded, "Ah, the keystone. It holds the secret to mega evolution." Liam pulled on the sleeve of his right arm to reveal a wooden bracelet consisting of wooden beads and a keystone embedded in one of the beads. "This little rock can evolve a pokemon holding its proper evolution stone into a state of great power. Only certain people can do it."

"Where did you get yours?"

"My grandfather gave it to me."

"So then you've got a pokemon that can mega evolve right?"

"Wouldn't be much point in having one of these if you didn't…unless of course, you got it before you caught your first pokemon." After a few moments of silence, Liam said, "I should get going." He got up and started walking up the stairs but stopped to say, "By the way, I know everything that happens here so if there's ever anything you'd like to know, don't be afraid to ask. The first one's a freebie, of course." He continued walking until he was gone.

_First one's a freebie? What the hell was that all about?_ Stephen thought to himself.

* * *

As the sun set, Jessica and Alaina were walking back to their site holding their surf boards under their arms as water dripped from their bodies. The sun's rays bounced especially well off of Jessica's bronze skin that glistened through the droplets of water. The girls passed by Mark and Karitoru who were finishing up their sand castles.

"Hey Jess! Alaina!" The turned to see Karitoru waving to them. "Come here real quick!" When the girls walked over, he said, "We need you guys to judge our sand castles to see who made the better one."

Jessica giggled, "Okay, lead the way, sand royalty." Karitoru showed them to his castle first which Pancham was standing next to confidently. It was a tower about three feet high and it was surrounded by four walls. One had an opening so Jessica and Alaina assumed that it was the entrance. The corners of the walls had towers of their own but they were all smaller that the main one. There were sticks with ripped pieces of paper at the top of the towers similar to flags. Jessica walked around the castle while nodding her head slowly before saying, "Wow this is a really cool castle!"

Mark arrived, "Alright ladies, now that you've seen the cabin, how'd you like to see the mansion?" He showed the girls his castle and they were absolutely speechless. It was a four foot castle with plenty of towers and the details on the windows and ledges were incredible. It was surrounded by a two foot circular wall with multiple openings and a moat outside. The best part was that there was an irrigation system that ran on top of the wall and through what seemed to be a tiny village and out onto the moat. There was even a bridge connecting to the main entrance of the city. Squirtle and Machop smiled at their master piece as Karitoru and Pancham's jaws dropped to the ground. "So, what do you think?" Without looking away from Mark's castle, Jessica and Alaina agreed that his was better than Karitoru's. Mark laughed as he put a hand on Karitoru's shoulder, "The judges have made their decision bro."

Karitoru smiled, "Well it is an awesome castle."

The started walking off, "Yours is pretty cool too man, I wish I thought of the flags and the guard towers are awesome!" The girls followed them until they reached their site where Alex lied on a towel with his skin completely red.

"What happened?!" Jessica asked.

Brock responded, "He forgot to put sunscreen on."

"Great," Karitoru started, "Now we've gotta' get him back to campus so a nurse can look at him."

Alex fought the pain as he quickly got up, "Guys, I'm perfectly fine!" Mark put his hand on his roommate's back and the emerald-eyed boy yelled from the burning pain.

"Oh yeah, you're in great condition," Mark replied. With that, the group packed up and took a bus back to campus. The entire ride, Pikachu couldn't ride on his favorite spot because of his trainer's sun burn.

While on the bus, Karitoru said to Alaina, "Hey I saw you surfing out there, it was really cool!"

She smiled softly as she responded, "Thank you."

"How long have you been surfing?"

"Maybe since I was around ten. It seems like my whole life for me."

"Well it seems like you've been surfing your whole life because it looked awesome!" She blushed as he continued, "Hey, I think this is the longest I've ever heard you talk. Are you going for some world record?" She giggled and the two continued talking. As soon as the group got to school, they went straight to the nurse's office and as soon as they exited, Mark and Karitoru took Alex back to their room so the sun burned teen could rest. Karitoru entered his room to find Stephen lying on his bed listening to music with a notebook resting against his knees and a pen scribbling on it. "Hey roomie," the white-haired boy said. Stephen titled his head upwards to say hello. "How was your day?"

"It was relaxed." He finished writing and put his notebook on his desk. "I just finished up the homework for Professor Rowan's class. How was the beach?"

"It was fun. Mark beat me in a sand castle building contest and Alex got sun burned." Stephen started laughing. "And it turns out Jessica and Alaina are really good surfers. You should've seen them, they looked so good today."

Stephen smiled, "I'll go next time."

**Another really short chapter but again, I sort of got cut off by the two nights I spent at my cousin's and I really wanted to give you guys a chapter tonight. I'm still accepting OCs! Anyway, instead of a poll this time, I'll give you guys a question of the day!**

**Question of the day: Which character do you guys think is based off of my cousin?**

**Legacy, out!**


	9. Chapter 9: Double Ring

**Alright everyone, I'm glad to finally give you guys a chapter that isn't too short. Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed and submitted an OC. I'm glad that some of you guys enjoyed the beach chapter. For those of you who submitted a guess as to what my favorite starter is, no one guessed it right so no spoilers :I. Btw, it was Chimchar :P. And for the QOTD, it was Mark.**

**Kudo Master: You are right that Jasmine hasn't shown up but this is a romantic story and she happens to be in one of the main couples so there you go.**

**Again, if you guys have any questions or are confused about anything, I am more than happy to answer or clear them up. I do not take kindly to rude commands. Anyway, time for the good stuff, Chapter 9!**

**Chapter 9: Double Ring**

Eric sat with his friends in Pokemon Habitats class with Professor Birch. It was Wednesday afternoon and this was his last class of the day so he wasn't paying so much attention to the professor. Class was the only time Noibat was in his pokeball because Eric considered it rude to have a pokemon out in the classroom. Besides, if he had Noibat out, why couldn't everyone else have a pokemon out, and what would be worse than a cramped room filled with over a hundred pokemon? Eric and his friends usually sat towards the middle of the classroom because if you sat in the front, you couldn't talk and if you sat in the back, the professor was more likely to call on you to see if you were paying attention.

"Hey Eric, Takuya," both teens turned to see who was whispering to him. They found Brendan leaning forward on the desk so both of them could hear him.

"What happened?" Eric asked.

"Are you guys going to the Double Ring today?"

Eric and Takuya looked at each other and thought it over before nodding casually. "Yeah, I feel like getting free smoothies today," Eric joked. "You guys want to come?"

Brendan turned to May and asked, "Wanna' go?"

"Sure!"

"Alright, count us in!" He said with an enthusiastic smile and thumbs up.

Eric turned to his left and asked Skyla and Elesa, "Are you guys going to come too?"

"Do we get free smoothies?" Elesa asked with a sweet smile.

The crimson-eyed boy smiled and laughed a little, "You have millions of dollars and you're asking for free smoothies that we get discounts on anyway?"

Elesa laughed, "Just testing to see when you'd break."

A few seconds passed by before Takuya asked, "Which pokemon are you using today?"

"Not too sure," Eric responded. "I'll have to look them over in the PC when we get there."

"Okay everyone, that'll be it for today," Birch said. "Make sure to read pages fort-seven to fifty-three in your textbooks today and we'll be having class outside tomorrow."

* * *

Once outside, Eric released Noibat so that it could take its place on his shoulders and the group walked to the Double Ring which was another stadium on campus where students went specifically to participate in double battles. The last Wednesday of every month, field number one would be open for the current tag battle champions on campus to battle challengers who hoped to take their title. The stadium had restaurants and other food places lined against the wall inside the stadium and tables sat behind railing with a great view of the battles. One part of the stadium even had a small stage where students could sing karaoke on Friday nights. With all these installments, students considered it more of a place to hang out, which was what Byron Steel had in mind when he planned its construction.

Eric and the others stood in line talking amongst themselves, however Eric was particularly quiet. "Next please!" said a sweet voice. Eric walked forward until he was standing across the counter from a tall light skinned girl with pink hair.

"Hey, Whitney," Eric said with a calm smile.

"What can I do for you guys?"

"The regulars…If you still remember them from last year."

She had a confident grin on her face, "Why I'm hurt that you'd think I forgot." She pressed a succession of keys on the register and called out, "Three Razz Berries, two Nanab Berries, and a Pinap Berry. That'll be $8.57." Because Eric and Takuya got free smoothies, they stepped aside while the others paid for their own drinks by pitching in. After their drinks were ready, Whitney handed them out to the respective customer: the Razz Berries smoothies for Eric, Takuya, and Skyla, the Pinap Barry for Elesa, and Nanab Berries for Brendan and May. Eric walked to a PC followed by his friends who looked over his shoulder to see which pokemon he was selecting. When he turned it on, the screen lit up and he swiped his card to log in and clicked on "Bill's PC" to access the pokemon storage system. He placed all of his pokeballs on a tray connected to the computer except for Noibat's because he didn't want it inside a computer after it was just inside its ball. With that, he clicked on "Move Pokemon" and the screen showed the pokemon he had in storage and the ones in his party. Takuya and the others made sure no one was watching to try to get an advantage but Eric didn't mind. He was confident in his own capabilities. When he was done moving his pokemon around, he logged off and the group went to grab a table near field one. Takuya hardly ever moved his pokemon around because he preferred to use the ones already in his party. On the whiteboard next to the field, Eric and Takuya wrote their names along with the words, "Two-on-two, one pokemon per person" and soon after, there was a line of opponents along with a list of their names on the whiteboard forcing the boys to leave their drinks with their friends.

"Kick some ass!" Brendan yelled as his friends walked over to the line. They called the first two in line and introduced themselves.

Eric spoke, "Hey, I'm Eric and this is Takuya. What are your names?"

The challengers were twins—one was a boy and the other a girl. They both had dark blue hair with bows in them, but the girl had hair framing her face. The boy spoke first, "I'm Tate."

"And I'm Liza."

Takuya asked, "Are there any modifications you guys would like to the field?"

"No," Tate responded, "The field is fine the way it is."

Eric responded, "Alright well good luck to both of you."

"Same to you," Liza replied as the trainers took their sides and called out their pokemon. Tate and Liza called out Solrock and Lunatone (respectively).

"Go, Gabite!" Takuya called out his blue land shark pokemon.

Eric lightly tossed his pokeball and it opened to reveal a small lobster pokemon. "Let's do this, Corphish."

"Corphish! Cor!"

"You guys can have the first move," Eric called out.

Liza said, "Lunatone, Light Screen!" A thin wall of psychic energy went up to shield the twins' pokemon from special attacks.

"Solrock, Sunny Day!" the sun, shaped pokemon shot a blast of fire into the air that hovered above the field, illuminating it brightly as though it were a small sun.

Eric stayed quiet for a moment analyzing the moves on their pokemon. _So Lunatone set up the light screen to halve the damage from out special attacks and Solrock used Sunny Day to power up its fire-type moves. However, it could have Solar Beam on it, in which case, it wouldn't have to charge with Sunny Day up. That means, Corphish is dangerously at a disadvantage because its water-type moves are weakened and a Solar Beam will do too much damage. Let's see, what to do now? Takuya's Gabite will eat up any move those pokemon have, but at the same time, its special moves won't do much. He'll have to stick to physical attacks and I'll have to keep my distance from that Solrock._ "Takuya," the tall, red-haired teen looked over at his roommate. "X." Takuya nodded, understanding what Eric meant.

"Gabite, use Dig."

"Dig?" Tate asked. "What's a ground type move going to do against two pokemon that levitate?"

"You'll see," Takuya responded with a wide grin.

"Corphish, Bubble Beam on Solrock." The little lobster opened one of its pincers and unleashed a barrage of bubbles that landed on the sun-shaped pokemon. Despite it being super effective, it didn't do as much as Eric would have liked. That wasn't what he was going for, though.

"Solrock," use Solar Beam!

"Gabite now!" Corphish was pulled underground by the land shark leaving, Eric and Takuya's friends, challengers, and spectators wide-eyed and speechless.

"Bubble Beam again!" Another flurry of bubbles shot up from underground hitting Solrock.

"Dragon Claw on Lunatone!" Gabite shot up from underneath and scratched the moon-shaped pokemon with claws surrounded by purple energy. Lunatone and Solrock were still able to battle but both were very weak.

"Solrock, Flamethower!"

"Lunatone, Psychic!" Gabite took the Psychic rather well.

"Use Dual Chop!" the dragon-type pokemon ran up to Lunatone and with its powerful arms, chopped at the moon-shaped pokemon, knocking it out.

"Corphish, Aqua Jet on Solrock!" surrounded by a stream of water, the lobster pokemon rushed through the flames and towards Solrock.

"Solrock, dodge!" it was fast enough to move away until Eric made his next command.

"Grab it with Vice Grip!" Corphish reached outside of its Aqua Jet and grabbed Solrock by one of its flame protrusions. "Toss it on the ground." The little lobster did as it was told as it threw its opponent on the ground. "Finish it with a spinning combination Aqua Jet-Bubble Beam!" Corphish was once again surrounded by a stream of water as it dashed towards the grounded sun-pokemon while spinning and shooting out a barrage of bubbles that created an eye-pleasing spectacle. The last bubble popped and the crowd cheered for the victors, Eric and Takuya. Their friends clapped and cheered for them as the participants recalled their pokemon and congratulated each other on a good battle.

After Tate and Liza left, Eric asked, "Ok, so who's next?" As he faced the line of challengers, they looked at each other, unsure of battling now.

"I'll battle." Eric turned to find a stranger with purple hair and a serious expression.

Eric looked the boy over before responding, "Okay, what's your name?"

"Paul."

"Where's your partner, Paul?" Takuya asked.

"No partner. I just want to battle Eric."

"Your face isn't familiar, what year are you?"

"I'm a freshman." Eric's friends began to laugh but the crimson-eyed boy looked at Paul with great intensity. He knew there was more to this boy and he didn't seem stupid enough to challenge him without being prepared.

"Okay." The laughter seized at the sound of that one word.

Skyla turned to Eric and asked, "You're not serious are you?"

"Who am I to deny him a battle?"

"The co-tag battle champion?" Brendan remarked rhetorically.

Eric smiled, "If he wants to see how strong he really is and get stronger, battling strong opponents is exactly the thing he should be doing." He turned back to the younger boy. "Alright, I'll battle you, but we've got to do this outside. This stadium is strictly only for double battles."

"Agreed." With that, Eric, his friends, Paul, and everyone else who wanted to see the battle went outside onto a nice grassy space. Once both trainers were ready, Paul explained, "This will be a three-on-three battle and it will be over when all three pokemon on one side are defeated."

Eric nodded, "That's fine with me." Both trainers reached for a pokeball and tossed it out. In front of Paul hovered his Murkrow while Eric called out his Piloswine, a large pig with brown fur and small tusks. "The first move is yours, Paul."

Paul nodded and commanded, "Murkrow, use Haze!" Piloswine was covered with black smoke, blinding it, but Eric wasn't worried.

_Haze, huh? He's trying to cut off my field of vision and possibly buy himself some time for a powerful move like Brave Bird or even Sky Attack. Freshman or not, he definitely has some good strategies that could work on me if I'm not careful._ "Piloswine, use Mist." An equally blinding mist surrounded the field, eliminated Haze, and turned the tables on Murkrow. "Piloswine, use Icy Wind." Aimlessly, it shot a wave of cold air in the general direction it last saw Murkrow.

"Use Defog!" The black bird began flapping its wings, clearing Mist and blowing away the approaching cold wind.

"Now Ice Shard." Piloswine froze the air around it and shot clumps of ice at Murkrow.

"Dodge it!" The swine's attack out-sped the crow, landing a very effective hit and knocking it out. Paul took out Murkrow's pokeball and recalled it, then called out his next pokemon. "Grotle, standby for battle!" The green turtle stood its ground as it prepared for battle with the large pig.

Eric thought to himself, _Grotle are very slow but defensive which means that even though it'll hit first, my Ice Shard might not be able to knock him out. Grotle learn Razor Leaf though, so I'll definitely need Ice Shard to counter it_.

Paul commanded, "Use Razor Leaf."

"Another Ice Shard, Piloswine." Both attacks collided, canceling one another out as the leaves and ice broke into each other. "Use Icy Wind." Piloswine shot another wave of cold wind that hit the slow moving grass-type directly, knocking it out too. Paul recalled Grotle and sent out his last pokemon, a small yellow pokemon with black stripes on its arms, a black thunderbolt on its chest, and two horns atop its head that resembled a plug.

"Elekid, standby for battle! Use Swift!" Elekid waved its arm and a barrage of shining yellow stars flew at Piloswine, landing direct hits.

The large pig did not sustain too much damage so Eric simply called out, "Earthquake," and the ground began to shake, inflicting super effective damage to the small electric-type. It fell unconscious and the battle was over so both trainers recalled their pokemon.

Paul walked over to Eric and without any effort to smile, said, "Thank you for the battle, despite the loss, I'll become strong enough to defeat you one day."

"I look forward to it," Eric responded, "but I have to ask, why did you want to battle me?"

"I am fighting strong trainers so that I can become strong, like you said."

"Well if that's true, why didn't you challenge Takuya? He's a higher rank than I am."

"I saw your tag battle and was more interested in battling you because of your battle style. You analyze your opponent and take into consideration every move they could possibly have. Then you formulate strategies to counter them and in a tag battle, you know how to utilize both your and your partner's pokemon's abilities. I noticed that you were ready for all of my moves which means you have a vast knowledge of pokemon and the moves they can learn." The more that Paul spoke, the more Eric found himself smiling. A freshman read him so easily just from their first battle. This kid was definitely dangerous in battle which means one day, he could very well defeat him. "Don't get me wrong, I do want to battle Takuya as well but you were able to defeat me so easily which means I have training to do if I want to defeat him."

The red-haired teen walked forward, "Then I'll be waiting until that day, Paul." The first year student nodded and walked away, heading towards the nearest pokemon center on campus.

Eric decided it best to call it day after that battle. "Hey guys, I'm gonna' go back to my room to get some homework done."

"I'll go too but don't you want to get something to eat first?" Takuya asked.

"Yeah, I could go for a bite. Let's go to Seibold's?" The others agreed so they all went to the Seibold Falls Dining Hall named after the head chef, Seibold Falls. After eating, the group separated, Brendan and May went off on their own, Volkner showed up so Elesa went with him, and the remaining three went back to Eric and Takuya's room in the Tao Dorm. They took the elevator up to the fifth floor and went to room 506.

As Eric opened the door he said, "Alright, mi casa es tu casa." Skyla and Takuya looked at him with confused faces. "My house is your house."

"Ohhh!" they said in unison.

"Well I know that," Skyla said, "You act like I don't already make myself at home every time I come in here." She sat down on Eric's bed as he grabbed his backpack and sat down next to her.

He joked, "Yeah but I like it better when I feel like you have my permission."

"Yeah, yeah" she responded. "So whose homework do you guys want to do?"

"How about Elm's worksheet?" Takuya asked.

"Sure," Eric responded as he took out the worksheet from his folder. "I wanted to get this done with already. Sycamore's homework isn't due 'til Friday right?"

"Yep!" Skyla responded as she looked over the worksheet. "Okay, I'm already lost with number one. How does a Swablu learn Rage? I mean how can that adorable little birdie use such a violent move like that?"

"If the parent is a Salamence," Eric responded.

"Ew!" she said. "I'd never breed a beautiful Altaria with that nasty thing." Eric and Takuya looked at each other before bursting into laughter. "What?!" Skyla asked as though she was being accused.

"Nothing," Eric said. "That was just…wow. I don't even know how to describe that." The three worked on their homework until they were done with everything they had to do that day. It was about 9:44 when they finished and Skyla had to get back to her room.

As she grabbed her bag, Skyla asked, "Eric do you want to walk me back to my room?"

"You live on the second floor" he responded.

Skyla walked to the door and held the doorknob as she said dramatically, "Fine, let me walk alone through the treacherous halls to the hazardous elevator and through more…treacherous halls."

Eric tilted his head back as he groaned and laughed a little at the same time, "Fine, I'll take you."

"Yay!" she said as she clapped her hands lightly.

"I'll be back," Eric said as he grabbed his wallet and walked to the door.

As the two exited, Takuya said, "Now you two be safe and don't do anything you'll regret."

Eric teased, "We don't regret anything. Like we don't regret doing it on your bed."

Takuya stood up immediately and said, "Dude! You better be playing!" Eric laughed as he closed the door and started walking with Skyla down to her room.

Once in front of it, Eric teased, "Well I helped you through that perilous trek with all those dangerous and hazards."

She giggled, "See! Who would protect me from all that if you fell off the bell tower?"

He smiled as he got close to her, "Like I said, Falkner is available."

She returned the smile as she inched closer to him with each word, "I'm sure Falkner isn't half as good a kisser as you are." Their lips met and the two kissed for a short moment before pulling apart.

They smiled at each other as Eric said, "You should probably get inside for curfew…" he spoke up, "but give Elesa enough time to reach her bed and pretend like she isnt't spying!" Skyla giggled as she unlocked her door and said goodbye to her friend. Eric made his way back to his room thinking of more lies to tell Takuya to get him even madder.

* * *

Skyla closed the door and turned around to find Elesa on her bed looking at her Xtransceiver. The red-head walked over to her own bed and rhetorically asked, "You still haven't learned how to eavesdrop without getting caught?"

Elesa looked up with a mischievous smile, "Hey, I'm only looking out for you."

"For what? You know Eric."

"Exactly, I _know_ Eric."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Really Skyla? Eric isn't the type of guy who kisses and sleeps with a girl he likes without asking her out." Skyla remained silent. "Come on, when are you going to tell him how you really feel so he can stop playing around?"

"I can't just tell him because he obviously doesn't want things to change if he hasn't asked me out. Besides, I honestly don't see anything wrong with us just being friends."

"With benefits!" Elesa added.

"Regardless, I'm happy and he's happy so everything is okay."

Elesa wanted so badly to smack her across the head but stifled it and let it go. If she wanted her best friend to learn, it would have to be the hard way, "Ok." Skyla smiled at the apparent approval of her best friend and the two finished their night by showering and going to bed.

**Woohoo! Chapter 9 is done and we finally have an Eric chapter! How'd you guys like going through his day for once? Anyway, I'm still accepting OCs so check out the criteria in the Author's Notes at the end of Chapter 7 or PM me. Also, if there is a battle that you're dying to see between characters that you've seen in the story, PM and we can talk about it. I've decided that sometimes I'll have a poll and at other times, it'll be a QOTD.**

**Poll of the Day: Favorite Pokemon Type?**

**-Fire**

**-Water**

**-Grass**

**-Electric**

**-Ground**

**-Rock**

**-Flying**

**-Bug**

**-Poison**

**-Psychic**

**-Ghost**

**-Dark**

**-Fighting**

**-Dragon **

**-Fairy**

**-Steel**

**-Ice**

**-Normal**

**That's everything for this chapter! Legacy, out!**


	10. Chapter 10: Snake Pit

**Yo! What's up everyone?! Sorry that this chapter took practically a week to write but with 4****th**** of July and a cold that crept up on me from nowhere, I didn't exactly get too much time or concentration to write it. Anyway, I'm glad that I was finally able to finish this chapter because it was actually pretty fun to write once I got in the zone. I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed and PM'd me an OC and yes, I am still accepting OCs.**

**So there is no winner for the last poll because no two people picked the same type for the poll but I want to thank ****Seth98****, ****1crazyshadow****, ****Red Alfa****, ****Moonspots****, and ****Seto0503**** for participating in the poll. I have to say my favorite type is either Steel or Ground because a lot of my favorite pokemon have those typings.**

**Chapter 10: Snake Pit**

_A young Mark walked through the woods with his parents holding his mother's hand back from a Pokemon Contest. His father held a lantern as the only source of light until they reached their house which would have the porch light on. As they passed through the clearing, they were greeted with a different source of light as raging flames consumed their home. Mark's father said, "Linda, call the ambulance and the firefighters!" as he ran into the inferno. Mark's mother did as she was told but it would take some time for the firefighters and ambulance to get there so in the meantime, they waited and watched the burning house._

_Tears streamed down both of their faces as the boy asked, "__Are they going to be okay?"_

_His mother looked back at him feigning a smile and responded, "They'll be perfectly fine. You're father's in there." She turned back to face the flames and looked out for her husband and children. That's when they could see shadowed figures coming out of the doorway. When they got closer, he could see them clearly. There were only two—one was his father whose face and clothes were covered in ash and the other was his older brother._

_The boys' mother walked up to their father and frantically asked, "Where's Sara?!" The man looked back at the house as his wife broke down into tears. Mark looked up at his unconscious brother who was sleeping on their father's back. His eyes opened slowly and automatically looked at Mark._

_"Eric, are you okay?" He asked with tearing rolling down his cheeks._

_Eric opened his mouth and yelled, "Dude!"_

* * *

Mark's eyes opened abruptly to find Alex and Pikachu standing over him with worried expressions. "Hey you okay?" asked the emerald-eyed boy.

Mark sat up straight and found himself in bed with his blanket neatly covering his legs. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand to find that he had been sweating and took a second to adjust. "Yeah," he said, "Just had a bad dream."

"Well you must've been really interested in it 'cause I'm up and ready before you for once," he said with a goofy grin.

Mark smiled, "I bet you feel cool don't you?" Alex laughed as his roommate started getting ready and the two headed to the dining hall. It was almost time for class, so the pair grabbed breakfast and decided to eat it in Professor Oak's class. He didn't mind students eating as long as they cleaned up after themselves and they didn't eat anything that would distract him from the lesson.

The boys ran through the halls with seconds left before class started and they managed to get there before Professor Oak closed the door. Once inside, they found Karitoru, Stephen, and Alaina who were saving them seats.

Professor Oak began speaking, "Good morning class, today we'll be discussing the pokeball." He held a standard pokeball in his hand, "I hope that by the end of today you'll all understand how important pokeballs are. Without them, none of you would be in your seats today and I wouldn't be able to study the relationship between humans and pokemon. This little red and white device is so important because it not only helps us battle and train with pokemon but it lets us work with and understand them. Does anyone know what Apricorns are?" Mark raised his hand, "Yes, Mark?"

"They are fruit found only in Johto and some people can even make pokeballs with them."

"Excellent! You're just like your brother, Eric. Now these pokeballs made from Apricorns are special because their uses are different. We'll be going over all the different kinds of pokeballs that one can find in the PokeMart and the ones made from Apricorns. For homework today, you will all receive a worksheet where you will have to match the pokeballs to their uses."

As class proceeded, Alex realized just how important pokeballs are and the wide variety of pokeballs that there were. He looked at Pikachu and Pidgey's pokeballs which were the regular red and white pokeballs. He wondered if he'd ever get to use other kinds of pokeballs.

* * *

After all of their classes, Alex and the others decided to go to the lounge in the Tao Dorm to work on some homework to get it out of the way so that they would have free time the rest of the day. Mark and Alaina were working very quickly, matching the pokeballs with their proper uses while Karitoru and Stephen would look over at their sheets when they didn't know the answers. Mark noticed that Alex was drifting off a lot so he asked him, "Hey Alex, you okay?"

Alex looked at him, "Yeah, I was just thinking, when do we get to use all the pokeballs?"

"What do you mean?" asked Stephen.

"I mean like, what's the point of knowing all about them if we don't get to use them? We could buy some of these, right?"

"Yeah," Stephen responded, "They have them in the student store."

"Then let's go get some!" Alex said as he got up, ready to go.

Mark asked, "Uh, can we finish up our homework first? The student store is open 'til like five."

"Fine, fine" Alex responded as he sat back down and finished up the rest of his homework. After their homework was completed, the five friends made their way down to the student store to see if they could purchase pokeballs. On the way, they heard a shrieking noise and looked around to see what caused it. As Alex looked up, he found a small ball of orange fur jumping out of a nearby tree and falling right onto his face. He stood there for a moment not knowing what to do before it began scratching at his face. He began panicking "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" He swatted at it until finally he tossed it and it landed right in Alaina's hands. The others got close to examine what it was.

"What is that thing?" Karitoru asked. The small orange ball of fur uncurled itself to reveal a round little mouse pokemon with red orange pouches on its cheeks similar to Pikachu's.

Alex walked up to the tiny pokemon, "Whatever it is, it scratched my face!"

Mark patted Alex on the back, "Oh come on, a scar or two on your face might make you look cool and intimidating. You need more of that."

Alex gently swatted his roommate's hand away, "Gee, thanks!" He turned back to the small mouse that was still sitting in Alaina's hands, watching to see what its captors would do. "Well it looks like it's a pokemon and because it scratched out my face, I get to catch it!"

"Dedenne!" it called out as it curled into a ball.

"I think it's scared" responded Alaina as she cuffed one hand over it.

"Pikachu," the yellow mouse greeted the orange one.

"Denne?" The two pokemon began communicating until Dedenne felt more at ease.

Alex turned to his partner and asked, "Hey what did Dedenne say?"

Pikachu got on the floor and started playing charades as it said, "Pika pika pi, Pikachu!" It lied down, raised its head, and bared its fangs while making a hissing sound.

"I guess maybe Dedenne was being chased by a predator" Stephen said. Pikachu nodded, approving Stephen's assumption.

"Who were you running from little guy?" Mark asked. As he leaned in to get a closer look at Dedenne, shining purple needles flew by, almost striking him. The group turned to find a large snake pokemon with purple skin, a yellow streak going all the way around its neck, and a yellow rattle at the end of its tail.

"Ah! Snake!" Alex yelled as he got behind his friends. "What the hell is that thing?" Karitoru got in front of Alaina and the frightened Dedenne with pokeball ready to go.

"It's called an Ekans," Mark responded. "It's a poison-type."

Karitoru sent out his Pancham and the little panda looked at the snake, sensing fear from its Intimidate. "You've got this Pancham! Stay focused." It looked back at its trainer and nodded. "Alright, use Arm Thrust." Pancham ran towards Ekans and hit it with the palm of its hand several times. Ekans' head tilted backward from the hit but moved back to normal position and it was its turn to attack. It used Poison Sting again so Karitoru called out, "Dodge!" and his pokemon moved out of the way, successfully dodging it. "Use Karate Chop." Pancham ran up to Ekans again and jumped up before coming down and hitting the snake pokemon with the side of its paw. Ekans came back and used Wrap by wrapping itself around the little panda and constricting it. "Pancham get out of there!" It started struggling but it was unable of escaping.

Stephen tossed out a pokeball of his own to reveal his Beldum, Achilles. "Use Take Down!" Achilles flew by quickly until it hit Ekans on the head, knocking it out, and freeing Pancham.

"Thanks, man" Karitoru said.

"Yeah, no problem. You'd do the same for me."

"Guys," Mark said, "We've got more company." They looked around to find three more Ekans.

"Then we'll just fight them all too," Karitoru responded.

"Right!" Mark replied. _Let's see, Machop's a fighting-type which means that its moves won't be effective against it so Squirtle is my best bet._ He tossed out his pokeball and the little blue turtle emerged from it. "Hey Alex, are you going to join in too?" He turned to find his roommate standing behind the frail little Alaina.

"No way! I'm staying right where I am!"

Mark sighed, _So he can stand up to Felix but a few Ekans, and it's the end of the world. _"Squirtle, use Water Gun!"

"Achilles, Take Down!"

"Pancham, Karate Chop!"

As Mark, Karitoru, and Stephen fought the Ekans, Alaina turned to Alex and asked, "You're scared of Ekans?"

He looked down and responded, "I'm scared of all snake-like pokemon."

"Well it's okay." He took his eyes away from the ground to look at the short girl.

"It is?"

"Yeah, we all have fears, right? Just because you're scared of something doesn't mean you're not brave. And not being afraid of anything doesn't mean you're brave either. Being brave means that you'll go up against what you fear the most."

Alex let her words sink in before giving her a hug and saying, "Alaina, thank you." She wasn't really sure of what to do at first because no boy had ever hugged her before but that feeling quickly went away as she hugged him back. She couldn't help but smile because she had made an actual friend.

Mark, Karitoru, and Stephen managed to defeat their opponents and celebrated but soon after, another Poison Sting came from one of the bushes, hitting Pancham and poisoning him. "Oh no! Pancham!" He quickly went to recall it back into its pokeball and faced the bush that the attack came from. "Looks like there was another one too afraid to come out!" The leaves began to rustle as another serpent pokemon came out but this one was much larger and it had the headdress of a cobra.

Karitoru's eyes opened wide, "T-that's a big snake!" He quickly ran back to the group as Mark and Stephen moved to the front with their pokemon.

Alex stepped forward to stand alongside Mark and Stephen, "I'm joining the battle too." His friends smiled and nodded. "Ready Pikachu?"

As the electric mouse ran in front of Alex, it exclaimed "Pika!"

"Guys," Stephen started, "Achilles still only knows Take Down so you guys can use us as a shield for the poison-type moves."

"Thanks Stephen," Mark responded. "Squirtle, use Water Gun!" The turtle pokemon shot a blast of water from its mouth but Arbok slithered around, dodging it. The snake pokemon opened its mouth and shot out another Poison Sting attack at its opponents.

"Achilles, get in front of Squirtle and Pikachu." The steel-type acted as a shield and the Poison Sting attack bounced off the metal skin, unable to penetrate it.

Alex commanded Pikachu, "Use Thundershock!" Pikachu jumped up to get a better hit and unleashed a blast of electricity but the snake pokemon moved out of the way and used Poison Sting on it. Luckily, Pikachu did not get poisoned.

"Water Gun!" Squirtle shot another blast of water but Arbok moved out of the way again. _This isn't working! I have to get up close._ "Stephen, can you and Achilles cover me?"

"Squirtle, run up to Arbok and tackle it."

"Achilles, cover Squirtle from any poison attacks." Both pokemon did as they were told and moved towards the giant cobra pokemon, Achilles making sure to block all of the Poison Sting attacks. When Squirtle had gotten close enough to attack, Arbok made sure to wrap around the little turtle, stifling it. "Achilles, Take Down!" As Beldum charged at Arbok, the poison-type used Crunch and managed to catch the steel-type in its mouth. The dark-type move was enough to knock out Achilles. "Achilles, return."

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" the electric mouse ran at top speed and hit Arbok, freeing Squirtle. The blue turtle landed beside Pikachu.

It thanked the yellow mouse, "Squirtle!"

Pikachu smiled and nodded, "Pika! Pi!" They both faced Arbok, ready to battle.

"Thundershock!"

"Water Gun!" Both pokemon followed orders and attacked Arbok but their opponent managed to dodge both attacks and hit them both with attacks of its own. It used Crunch on Pikachu and Poison Sting on Squirtle, knocking out the first, and poisoning the second.

The group remained silent and still watching the Arbok as it waited for new prey. Finally, Alex stepped forward and called out his Pidgey. "I'm not giving up!" he said with determination in his eyes. "Pidgey use Gust!" the bird pokemon began flapping its wings and the attack managed to land a hit. Arbok shot a Poison Sting but Alex said, "Use Quick Attack to dodge!" and his pokemon did as it was told. "Now attack it!" Pidgey managed to hit it again. "Keep your distance and we might be able to win this Pidgey!"

"Pidgey!" it shouted back with confidence.

Another pokeball was sent out and a small pumpkin-like pokemon appeared alongside Pidgey. Alex turned to find Alaina standing next to him. "We're here as back-up."

Alex nodded, "Right, thanks! Pidgey use Gust!" Pidgey began flapping its wings vigorously but Arbok made a straight shot with its Poison Sting attack, knocking Pidgey down. "Pidgey, are you okay?" The bird pokemon managed to get back up but it started to glow purple and it cringed from pain. "Oh no! Pidgey, are you going to be able to fight?" It nodded in approval, giving Alex the courage to continue. "Let's wrap this up before Pidgey faints from the poison, Alaina."

She nodded and commanded, "Pumpkaboo, use Confuse Ray." The little pumpkin pokemon shot an orb of flashing yellow light that connected with Arbok, confusing it.

"Pidgey, I say let's finish this up! Fly up high then come down with a Quick Attack!" Pidgey flew up high into the sky then came back down at incredible speed and hit Arbok, knocking it out. As Arbok fell to the ground, Alex was overcome with indescribable joy from winning against what seemed like an impossibly difficult obstacle so he hugged Alaina and picked her up. She felt very happy as well and when he put her down, the others went over to congratulate him.

"Well looks like all that training came in handy" Karitoru said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, but we should get out pokemon to the Pokemon Center," Stephen commented.

"Right" Alex said as the group rushed off to the nearest Pokemon Center to heal their pokemon. As Nurse Joy handed everyone their fully restored pokemon back to their owners, Mark noticed something for the first time.

"Hey, Alaina is that Dedenne on your shoulder?"

Alaina turned her face to find the little orange mouse sitting calmly on her shoulder, "Hello there. What are you doing here?"

"Denne! Dedenne, denne!"

"I think it wants to go with you" Karitoru said and Dedenne nodded happily.

"Really? You want to join my team?" Alaina asked. It nodded once again. "Okay then, I've got a pokeball here for you." The little orange mouse ran down Alaina and stood in front of her as she gently tossed her pokeball and it went inside. The device shook a few times before clicking and a new member officially joined Alaina's team.

"This is awesome!" Alex said. "I managed to face my fear and you caught a new pokemon!" Mark made a slithering noise in Alex's ear and he jumped from fear.

"Oh yeah" the crimson-eyed boy said, "You're so over it."

"Hey I said I was over my fear of snake pokemon but not of getting attacked by a twenty foot Arbok!" Everyone laughed at his goofiness. "Alright, all we've got to do now is go buys some new pokeballs!" The group thanked Nurse Joy for her service and exited the Pokemon Center to go to the student store.

* * *

The group stood in front of the student store with Alex sitting down with his legs crossed and his hand supporting the weight of his chin, "Aw man! It's closed!"

"I guess we can come back for some tomorrow," Stephen said.

"But I wanted some today!" Alex complained.

**Well this was a fun little chapter, right? We got to see all of the freshman in Alex and Mark's group involved in the action and we have a new little friend! So the criteria for OCs, is posted at the end of Chapter 7 or you can PM me for it and if there's a battle between characters that are in this story already that'd you'd really like to see, you can PM me that too!**

**POTD: What is your favorite region?**

**-Kanto**

**-Johto**

**-Hoenn**

**-Sinnoh**

**-Unova**

**-Kalos**

**-Orre**

**-Other**

**Remember, if you have an idea for a QOTD or POTD, PM me and I can post it in future chapters. I'll see you all next time, Legacy, out!**


	11. Chapter 11: Fumble and Rumble Friday

**What is up everyone?! Legacy is here to give you guys a new chapter! I know the last few chapters have been kind of short and I was this close to splitting this into two chapters but I decided "Hey! Why not write a long chapter this time as a reward for all my awesome loyal readers?!" And here we are today with the longest chapter I've written for this story! You guys excited?! I'm excited! So I don't know if you guys like long chapters so let me know in the reviews and I'll show more or less of them depending on what you guys say. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and submitted an OC and shout out to Seto0503 for the new OC that you will all see this chapter. I am still accepting OCs. Also, if there is ever anything anyone is confused about, don't hesitate to ask in a review or through PM. **

**So for last chapter POTD, it is another tie between Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. Special thanks to ****1crazyshadow****, ****Shinymudkip25****, ****Seto0503****, ****Moonspots****, ****reven228****, ****jmane**** for participating in the POTD. I can't believe no one gave any love to Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos (well I can believe Unova) but my favorite region would have to be Sinnoh.**

**Let's get this chapter started!**

**Chapter 11: Fumble and Rumble Friday**

Alex and the others sat at a table eating lunch along with sophomores, Jessica and Brock. It was Friday so they had gone through their classes quickly and were about to finish lunch to go to the main stadium on campus for that week's Battle Set.

"You're scared of snake pokemon?!" Jessica erupted into laughter as Alex's cheeks turned red.

"Hey, shut up!" Alex said, "Alaina told me what you were scared of." He gave Jessica a mischievous grin as her smile faded. Suddenly, she felt something crawling on her shoulder and she shrieked as she tried swatting it away. She felt someone's hand and grabbed it to find that it was Mark's. The others erupted into laughter as Jessica began blushing from embarrassment.

She looked at her little sister, "I guess I'll just have to tell everyone what you're afraid of."

Alaina wasn't fazed. "You don't know what I'm scared of."

Jessica opened her mouth but realized her sister was right, "Fine you win this round." She waited a moment before saying, "So Laina, I heard you caught a new pokemon."

The petite girl nodded, "Mhm!" She took out a pokeball and called out Dedenne.

"Denne?" It looked around and found itself surrounded so it quickly ran to Alaina and hid itself in her bag which was on her lap.

"Guess Dedenne is claustrophobic" Brock responded.

"It's scared of Santa Clause?!" Alex asked absentmindedly.

Jessica flicked him in the ear, "No dork, it means it doesn't like being in tight spaces."

Alaina lifted the top fold of her book bag and found her pokemon hiding underneath her pencil bag. "It's okay Dedenne, they're all friends. This is my sister, Jessica." Jessica leaned in so she and Spheal could wave.

"This is my partner, Spheal!" Jessica said sweetly.

"Spheal! Spheal, spheal!"

"Denne?" Dedenne poked its head out of its hiding spot and slowly came out of Alaina's bag. It climbed up onto Alaina's shoulder and the two pokemon started conversing.

Alaina said, "This is another friend of mine, Brock." The aforementioned boy smiled and waved. "And you remember Alex, Pikachu, Mark, Karitoru, and Stephen right?" Dedenne nodded happily. Pikachu jumped off of Alex's head and walked over to Alaina's side of the table.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Dedenne and Spheal jumped off their trainer's shoulders and the three pokemon started playing making the others laugh.

Mark looked at his watch, "Hey guys, we should get going if we want good seats for the battles today."

"Can't Eric hold them for us again?" Alex whined.

"I don't want to bug him for seats all the time" Mark responded. "Besides, what if one day he doesn't get there early?"

Alex sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The group got up from their seats and picked up their trash. "Dedenne, return." Alaina recalled her pokemon into its pokeball while Jessica picked Spheal up and put him on her shoulder and Pikachu jumped onto Alex's shoulder. With that, the group made their way to the stadium.

* * *

As they approached the stadium, something stopped them. A familiar pink hatted girl ran up to the group. "Alaina!" She yelled in a whiny voice.

The group was taken aback except for Alaina who was used to this. "Hi Serena, what happened?"

"It's so horrible! It's tragic! I can't believe this happened!" She noticed that Alaina was with her friends. "Oh I'm sorry! Are these your friends?"

Alaina nodded, "Yes this is my sister Jessica."

"And this is my partner, Spheal" she added enthusiastically.

The others went around introducing themselves until it was Alex's turn, "Hey, I'm Alex."

Serena looked at him closely until she remembered where she had seen him, "Hey! You're the one who told that one poison-type user off last week!"

Alex scratched the back of his head, "Yeah that's me."

"Yeah but he got told off too" Mark responded.

Alex replied, "And the award for the most supportive roommate goes to Mark Villagran everybody!" The other's laughed as Alex continued, "This is my buddy, Pikachu."

"Pika!"

Alaina spoke, "This is my roommate, Serena." She turned back to the pink hatted girl, "So what's wrong?"

"Oh yeah! Well um, you know how I sort of misplace things right?"

"Mhm?"

"Well…I can't find Fennekin's pokeball!" Everyone except for Alaina looked shocked because it was typical of her roommate.

Alex's eyes opened wide, "You lost your pokemon?!" She nodded with a guilty little smile.

"Yeah…but I had it! I remember that I had it in class but when I was in my room getting my student ID because I forgot it there. I was straightening myself out in the mirror so when I checked my pokeball holster, it was missing! Can you please help me Alaina?"

"It can be anywhere."

"Please Alaina?" She looked at her roommate with her big blue eyes.

Alaina gave in, "Okay, I'll help." Serena squeed as she took Alaina by the wrist and dragged her off in search of it.

"Guess we should help too," Mark said. With that, everyone followed Alaina and Serena and retraced her steps from her last class to her dorm but couldn't find anything in between. As they exited the Mortality Dorm, they decided to report to the lost and found to see if it would turn up there and if not, go to the main stadium and check later on. Feeling completely defeated and ashamed of herself, Serena wanted to cry.

Alaina was not the best when it came to being sentimental so she whispered to Alex, "Go over to see if she's okay"

Alex whispered back, "Why me?"

Karitoru responded, "Because you're all sentimental and crap and you know how to make someone feel better."

"I barely know her!"

"Just go!" Jessica said as she and the others pushed him.

Alex stumbled, almost falling on Serena but he managed to balance himself. Serena looked over at him and he could see the tears starting to form. "Uh, hey!" he said with a goofy grin.

"Hi" she responded, not really sure of why he was there.

"Are you okay?" he asked fearing tears.

"Yeah, I'll be fine…" They were quiet for a moment before she continued, "No, not really. What kind of trainer loses her pokemon?" The tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't do that," Alex said as he put both of his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him teary eyed. "There's no need to worry, I'll make sure we get your pokemon back. We'll even skip the Battle Set today if that's what it takes to find it!" The others were mentally slapping themselves in their foreheads.

"R-really?" she asked with a small smile growing.

"Yeah! Definitely!"

"There won't be any need for that." Everyone turned to find Stephen walking over to them with a pokeball in hand. He stood in front of Serena and handed it to her. "This is your Fennekin." Serena was half-doubting him as she took the pokeball and summoned the creature inside to find that it was indeed her Fennekin.

"Fennekin!" said the little yellow fox as it appeared.

Serena was overjoyed, "Fennekin!" She went down to hug her pokemon, "I'm so, so, so sorry! I promise I'll never let you out of my sight ever again. I'll be more responsible!"

Fennekin smiled and happily responded, "Fennekin!"

"Dude, where'd did you find it?" Alex asked, happy now that Serena was reunited with Fennekin. "Wait a minute, and weren't you with us?" He turned around and the others shrugged their shoulders.

"Well I had an idea of where it might have been so I went on to check. Turns out it was actually in Professor Rowan's class right by the trash can." He turned to Serena, "By any chance, were you sort of pushed on your way out?"

Serena laughed awkwardly, "Y-yeah. Thank you so much for finding her!" She turned around to the others and said, "And thanks to all of you for helping me look for her, I really appreciate it."

"Hey, we're glad to help" Alex responded with a goofy smile. With that, they went to the stadium to see if they could get good seats.

* * *

Stephen had separated himself from the group after Serena had dragged Alaina off to look for her pokemon and the others had followed them. If what that young man had said was true, Stephen knew exactly where to go if he wanted to know where Serena's pokeball was. The problem was finding where his source of information would be. After ten minutes of looking through the quad, the lecture building, and the dining hall, Stephen doubted that he would be able to find him.

As he started making his way back, he passed by the library and someone called out to him. "Hey, you looking for me?" Stephen turned to find the individual he was looking for walking down the stairs of the Samuel Oak Grand Library.

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew that."

Liam responded with a cocky grin, "I told you, I know everything that goes around here, like I know that your pink hatted friend lost her pokemon."

"Then I'm sure you know where it is."

Liam reached the bottom step and stood face to face with Stephen with the older boy standing a foot taller than the younger one. For the first time, Stephen noticed that Liam had a beauty mark on his left cheek close to his jaw. Liam had a mischievous grin as he responded, "Maybe I do."

Stephen remembered, _"The first one's a freebie, of course"_ and grinned, "Okay, I get you." He reached into his wallet and pulled out a crisp five dollar bill and handed it Liam.

The young man gladly accepted it and said, "It's in Rowan's classroom."

"We already checked there."

"Did you check behind the trashcan close to the exit?"

"How do you know it hasn't been moved? What if the janitor picked it up?"

"The janitor doesn't show up until five. And trust me, my information is never wrong."

Stephen looked at him unsure of whether his five bucks bought him the right answer then started jogging and then running until he reached the lecture building and just like Liam had said, it was in Professor Rowan's classroom behind the trashcan. With that, he called Mark who told him that they were heading to Serena's dorm to look for it and he went to join them.

* * *

The group stood at one of the arches that led to the seats in the stadium. They looked around and there weren't that many seats left so Mark called Eric, hoping that he had some.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Mark."

"You guys need seats?"

Mark sighed, "Yeah, sorry."

"No worries, come to Area 2, it's beside Area 1."

"Right. Thanks." Mark hung up and told his friends, "He said to go to Area 2." They made their way until they reached Area 2 where Eric and his friends were. Eric and Skyla sat at the end of the row with Brendan at the other end and Takuya in between. Alex and his friends started sitting down until they realized that there was not enough space for twelve people.

Eric turned to Mark, "Why didn't you tell me you had eight people this time?"

"I forgot. Besides, did you even have eight seats before I called?"

Eric thought about it, "Well no but it's fine, you guys are the bigger group so you can have these seats."

"No it's okay," Serena responded, "I can go find somewhere else to sit. I'd feel bad if you lost your seats because of me." Before Eric could say tell her that he didn't mind, she began walking up the stairs.

"Wait," Alaina said, "I'll go with you."

"You don't have to," Serena said with a gentle smile.

"I don't want you being alone," Alaina responded.

Jessica stood up, "I'll go too, sis."

The girls began walking up the stairs when Brock stood up and started chasing after them, "No, ladies! Wait for me!" The others laughed as Brock ran up the stairs to catch up to the girls.

"Attention spectators!" They turned their attention to the battle field to find Professor Rowan holding the microphone.

"Huh? Where's Cynthia?" Alex asked.

Eric responded, "As the Sinnoh Master Champion, she has to go back to Sinnoh when someone challenges the Pokemon League there or when a Sinnoh Elite Four member challenges her for her title. Professors here go back to their labs in their respective regions when they need to like Professor Birch who wasn't here today because he had to go give new trainers their starter pokemon back in Hoenn."

Rowan continued, "Welcome to this week's Battle Set. Unfortunately, Dean Blackthorn is not here today because she had to return to Sinnoh for a league tournament. She sends her regards to all of you and wishes the trainers who will battle today luck. Now, let's get right into the battles. First up, we have third year student and Unovian supermodel, Elesa Electra." The crowd went absolutely berserk as the blonde haired beauty strutted across the field onto her side. Alex couldn't help but watch as the golden haired, icy eyed, fair skinned beauty walked ever so elegantly across the field. "And her challenger will be the third year student and avid swimmer, Misty Cascades." The crowd cheered once again but not as loudly as they did for Elesa. Misty was a girl of average height with light skin, orange hair, and cerulean eyes. She wore a yellow sleeveless top with red suspenders hanging from her shoulders and jean shorts.

Both trainers were on their respective side of the field and the giant screen displayed their faces along with three pokeballs beside their faces. Professor Rowan stepped off of the field and once in his seat, next to his colleagues, the field began shaking. The ground on Misty's side of the field parted and a pond of water was lifted until it was leveled with the rest of the ground.

"Wait did her side of the field just change?!" Alex asked.

"Yeah" Brendan responded, "Some students here specialize in a specific type so sometimes they ask for their side of the field to be modified so that their pokemon can be in a comfortable environment. You see this most often with water-types who can't be outside of the water."

The referee began speaking, "This match will be a three-on-three battle and it will end when all three pokemon on either side of the field are unable to battle. The battle between Elesa Electra and Misty Cascades will now begin!" Both girls threw out their first pokemon, both with the intention of winning the battle.

In front of Elesa stood a zebra pokemon with black fur and white lightning marks all over its body. It had two white lightning bolt shaped horns on top of its head and white fur that went down its back to the tip of its tail. "Are you ready Zebstrika?!" It stomped one hoof and stood tall.

Misty's pokemon was floating in the water. It was a white and red fish pokemon with a small white horn atop its head. "Let's go Goldeen!"

"Goldeen!" it chimed back.

Karitoru commented, "Looks like Elesa's got the advantage."

"Yes," Eric responded, "But I assume you mean in terms of typing. Elesa's other advantage is the strength of her Zebstrika which happens to almost always be her opening pokemon."

"Isn't that predictable?" Mark asked.

"It's as predictable as Felix opening with Crobat" the older brother replied, "But regardless, it's effective. I've seen her take out ground-types with ease using her Zebstrika."

"Does it know an ice-type move?" Stephen asked.

"Nope" responded Takuya. "She doesn't have any moves on any of her pokemon that are super effective against her greatest weakness. That's one of the things that makes her a great electric-type trainer."

Back on the field, Goldeen's Water Gun missed so Elesa was going for a move of her own. "Zebstrika, use Volt Switch." The lightning bolt covered zebra shot a ball of electricity at Goldeen knocking it out, and then returned to its pokeball.

"What move is that?!" Alex asked.

Eric responded, "Volt Switch. The pokemon hits the foe with an electric attack and returns to its pokeball. It's basically a hit-and-run attack."

Back on the field, there were no pokemon on the field so Elesa and Misty were each supposed to send out another one. Elesa called out a small squirrel pokemon with flaps under its wings while Misty called out a purple ten-pronged starfish-like pokemon with a shining red jewel in the center of it.

"Starmie, use Ice Beam!" The purple star began spinning as it shot a thin blast of ice.

"Dodge it Emolga!" The flying squirrel opened its arms so it could fly away. "Gain Altitude then use Aerial Ace!" Emolga flew high then came crashing down on Starmie. It did damage to the water-type but not nearly enough to knock it out.

"Starmie, Water Pulse!" It shot a sphere of water at Emolga.

"Dodge it!" Emolga was going to dodge it but was not fast enough. It crashed to the ground but managed to get back up. Suddenly, it started screaming and looking around. "Oh no!"

Eric commented, "Water Pulse has a chance of confusing the target if it lands a hit."

"So what can Elesa do?" Mark asked.

"Well she can recall Emolga and the confusion will go away."

Elesa held out Emolga's pokeball. Misty wasn't going to let her get away, "Quick Starmie use Ice Beam!" It began spinning again as it shot another blast of ice that connected with its target and knocked it out. Elesa recalled Emolga and took a deep breath before sending out her Zebstrika.

"Let's do this for Emolga!" It stomped its hoof again and snorted.

"Starmie Recover!" The double-layered starfish began glowing white as it regained its lost health.

"Hit it with a Flame Charge!" Zebstrika began stomping hard on the ground as fire surrounded it and it slammed right into Starmie before it could recover all of its health.

"Starmie, another Recover!"

"Quick Attack!" Before Starmie could regain any more health, Zebstrika moved with great speed and rammed itself into Starmie, knocking it into the pool of water behind it and causing it to faint.

"Starmie, return." Misty was down to her last pokemon, "Let's go Horsea!" A tiny blue sea horse pokemon appeared in the water. "Use Bubble!" The tiny water-type shot a barrage of bubbles at Zebstrika which popped upon contact.

"Guess this battle's over" Elesa said with a smirk. "Zebstrika, Volt Switch!"

"Horsea, dive down underwater!" As Zebstrika shot its ball of electricity, Horsea went underwater causing the attack to miss.

Elesa smiled, "Use Volt Switch on the water." Zebstrika shot another attack that made contact with the water Horsea was hiding in and the electricity was conducted, knocking out Horsea as it floated to the top. Misty sighed and recalled it to its pokeball. "That was a good battle, Misty" Elesa said with a smile.

She smiled and responded, "Yeah, it was. Next time I'll win!" They both walked back to the dugout. The field returned to its standard dirt terrain for the next match and the battles continued.

* * *

"Blaziken use Sky Uppercut!" May called out. The tall red avian pokemon ran up to its opponent, Beartic and punched it with a powerful uppercut, and that was enough to knock it out. Her opponent recalled Beartic and gloomily walked back to the dugout.

Brendan cheered as loud as he could, "Awesome job, babe!" May looked to the stands and got a big smile upon seeing her boyfriend cheering for her and waved to him. She then called Blaziken back into its pokeball and returned to her seat in the dugout.

Professor Rowan walked out to the center of the field, "Well that concludes our seventh match and we'll have enough time for the last battle we had planned for today which means we were able to fit all eight matches." The students cheered. "This final battle will be between Ava Wentworth and William Albright."

Stephen watched as the brunette walked onto the dirt field and stood at one end, _Ava Wentworth…that's the girl from Saturday. Man this guy is in trouble._ On the opposite side of the field stood a teenage boy slightly shorter than Stephen with short black hair and silver eyes. He wore a light blue short-sleeved button up, a pair of khaki shorts, and gray and blue sneakers with a pair of sunglasses on top of his head to finish his outfit. He had a confident smile as though he was ready for anything that came at him.

"Yeah! Go Will!" Brendan yelled out. Stephen turned to find the energetic third year standing up from his seat to cheer William on.

"You know him?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, Mr. Hotshot is my roommate."

"I know him too," Karitoru added. "He's from Shalour City just like me."

Brendan asked, "Really?! No way! What a small world!"

"How come he doesn't hang out with you guys?" Karitoru asked.

"He does sometimes," Brendan responded, "But he's usually with his girlfriend."

Takuya teased, "Kind of sounds like another hotshot we know."

"Hey I make time for my bros too!" Brendan rebuts.

Back on the field, the referee stated, "This match will be a six-on-six battle and it will end when all six pokemon on either side of the field are unable to battle. The battle between Ava Wentworth and William Albright will now begin!" Both trainers reached out for a pokeball and tossed them out to reveal their first pokemon.

Ava was going to start off with her Abomasnow and as soon as it hit the field, its ability Snow Warning caused hail to fall onto the battlefield. Abomasnow had a golden cuff bracelet on its left arm with a shining blue stone in it. On the opposite side of the field stood a powerful bull pokemon, Tauros.

Karitoru recognized that the stone Abomasnow had bared a symbol similar to the one on his bracelet and Eric's necklace. "Pokemon can have Mega Rings too?" Mark asked.

Eric chuckled, "No, that's the mega stone that a pokemon needs for mega evolution."

_Mega evolution?_ Karitoru thought to himself. "What's mega evolution?"

Eric smiled, _I was wondering when he'd ask. I knew this kid was the source of Mark's curiosity_. "Mega evolution is…" Eric went on with his explanation of the process as the battle progressed.

The referee spoke, "The first move goes to Ava."

Ava simply said, "Abomasnow, use Blizzard."

"Aboma!" It put its giant hands on the ground, opened its mouth, and shot a raging blizzard at Tauros.

"Use Protect!" A shield of green energy surrounded Tauros and managed to absorb the impact at the beginning but as the blast of cold air and icy particles continued, the barrier broke and Tauros was knocked out. William recalled his pokemon then sent out another one, "Your turn, Mienshao." A white cat-like pokemon with arms covered in fur similar that looked like long sleeves appeared onto the field. "Mienshao use Jump Kick." The martial arts pokemon ran quickly towards its target and jumped before kicking it.

"Grab it." Abomasnow grabbed Mienshao before its attack could land. "Toss it to the ground then use Energy Ball." The white giant threw Mienshao on the ground slamming it against the dirt field then charged a green ball of energy in its hands and shot it at its opponent. Dust flew in the air and when it cleared, Mienshao was unconscious.

"This guy is getting beat badly," Alex commented.

"It looks back but there's a chance Will could come back from this," Brendan responded.

William was already out two pokemon while opponent still had all six. He had to bring out one of his strongest pokemon. "Let's go Aegislash!"

"Is that even a pokemon?!" Alex exclaimed from surprise.

In front of William floated what seemed to be a sword-shaped pokemon with ribbon arms holding a shield. Ava didn't look alarmed at all as she said with indifference in her voice, "Abomasnow use Blizzard." Abomasnow shot another blast of snow at its opponent.

"King's Shield!" Aegislash moved its shield so that it was in front of its body and its arms were crossed behind it. A clear force field appeared in front of it blocking the attack completely. "Alright Blade Forme." The sword pokemon opened up and held the shield in one arm at its side. "Use Sacred Sword." The blade portion of Aegislash's body began glowing yellow as it moved towards Abomasnow and slashed it, knocking it out.

Eric and his friends smiled as they saw Alex and his friends wide-eyed as though they didn't believe what just happened. Brendan began speaking, "Aegislash is a dual steel and ghost-type pokemon with an ability called Stance Change. When it's in Blade Forme, Aegislash's attack and special attack are through the roof but its defenses are kind of low."

"When it's in Shield Forme," Takuya continued, "Its attack and special attack are really low but its defenses are very high. Its signature move is King's Shield which is very similar to the move his Tauros used earlier, Protect, except this move has a very interesting side effect. If the opponent comes in contact with it, it loses attack power."

Ava called out her second pokemon, Eelektross. "Use Charge Beam." The eel pokemon began charging electricity before unleashing it in the form of a blast.

"King's Shield!" Aegislash quickly went into Shield Forme and a barrier protected it from receiving damage.

"Keep pressuring it, use another Charge Beam." Eelektross followed its orders and shot another stream of electricity at its opponent.

"Shit, Aegislash dodge that!" The sword pokemon was not fast enough to move out of the way of Eelektross' attack.

"Why didn't he use King's Shield?" Karitoru asked.

Skyla responded, "The more you use King's Shield, the more likely it is that it'll fail." Eric looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?! I pay attention to things too!" The dust cleared to reveal that Aegislash was still floating.

Eric added, "It's a good thing Aegislash was still in Shield Forme. If it was in Blade Forme, it definitely wouldn't have been able to take that attack."

The battle continued, "Another Charge Beam."

"King's Shield!" Aegislash managed to protect itself once again.

"Keep at it." Eelektross shot a flurry of back-to-back Charge Beams that hit Aegislash's King's Shield until it broke and the sword pokemon was pummeled. Once again, Aegislash was still able to battle but it was very weak.

"We're not going down without a fight! Shadow Sneak!" Aegislash's shadow began moving on the surface of the ground until it reached Eelektross and struck it from behind.

Ava was still unfazed from the attack, "Thunderbolt." Eelektross shot a blast of electricity much stronger than its Charge Beam that was able to knock out Aegislash.

"Aegislash, return." William reached for another pokeball and tossed out his next pokemon, "Dragoniar!" The long blue serpent-like pokemon appeared ready to fight.

Ava took out a pokeball and said, "Eelektross return" before calling out another pokemon, "Altaria, let's go."

Takuya couldn't help but smile at the sight of the dragon-type pokemon. His hazel eyes had a glint in them as he excitedly watched the battle. Both trainers called out, "Dragon Dance!" A dark cloud of red and blue energy surrounded Dragonair and Altaria as their attack and speed increased.

"Altaria, use Dragon Claw."

"Dodge it then hit her with a Dragon Tail!" Dragonair was able to weave its way through the field avoiding Altaria's attack and managed to hit it with its tail, knocking it back and making it convert into energy so it could return to its pokeball. Without Ava's consent, another of her pokemon was dragged out and it was her Hawlucha.

Without being shocked or surprised, Ava continued battling as though nothing had happened. "Hawlucha use Hone Claws." The tiny bird pokemon's talons started to glow white. "Now use Aerial Ace." Hawlucha jumped into the sky as William commanded his Dragonair to dodge the attack. Despite its attempts to evade the attack, Dragonair was hit with Hawlucha's Aerial Ace.

"Use Waterfall!" Dragonair slithered underneath Hawlucha and a geyser of water came up which connected with the tiny bird. Fortunately for Ava, Hawlucha landed on its feet.

"Use Flying Press." Hawlucha jumped high into the air, straightened out its body, and landed right on Dragonair's head. The dragon-type whined from the pain as its head tilted back, "Use Brick Break." Catching it off guard, Hawlucha's hand began glowing white as it chopped at Dragonair's neck. The elegant pokemon was clearly in pain but it got ready to continue battling.

_This thing is really fast_, William thought to himself. _If I have any chance of winning, I better go out into a pokemon with the type advantage._ "Dragonair, return." A red beam of energy shot out of the pokeball in William's hand as it turned Dragonair into energy and pulled it inside the device. "Let's go Gardevoir!" _I've definitely got the advantage here and she can't switch out into Altaria._

Ava recalled her Hawlucha and sent out her Togekiss. The white winged pokemon hovered above the ground with a cheerful smile on its face, awaiting its commands. "Use Air Slash." Togekiss' wings began glowing blue as blades of air were shot at Gardevoir. William's pokemon took the attack fairly well especially since they were prepared for a flying-type.

"Gardevoir, use Thunderbolt!" Gardevoir held her hands in front of herself and shot a blast of electricity at Togekiss.

"Metronome." Togekiss managed to randomly use Calm Mind, increasing its ability to take the attack.

"What's that move, Eric?" Mark asked.

"It's Metronome. It enables the user to use any random move. I'm sure she was fishing for a move like Protect or Detect to completely shield the attack but Calm Mind works as well. It increases the user's special attack and special defense."

"Togekiss use Air Slash again." It shot another barrage of air slashes at Gardevoir.

"Dodge it then use Psychic." Gardevoir majestically dodged the attack and her eyes began glowing blue as she used her psychic powers to take a hold of Togekiss. "Raise up high then throw it on the ground." Togekiss was raised high into the air then thrown onto the ground.

"Toge!" it cried out.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

Ava called out, "Air Slash!" Both pokemon shot attacks at each other and dust covered them both. When it cleared, both pokemon were unable to battle. Up on the screen, four of William's pokemon were blacked out while only two of Ava's were. Dragonair, Eelektross, Altaria, and Hawlucha were all in gray showing that they have been revealed but are not currently on the field. This battle was nearing its end and neither trainer was ready to give up. Ava maintained her calm exterior but William couldn't help but smile. He was having too much fun. "What are you smiling at?" Ava asked, annoyed.

William responded, "It's just that I'm having a great time battling."

"Huh?" Ava was taken aback. "Well wipe that smile off because there's no way you're going to win."

"Hey I never said I was, but you can bet that I'm going to give it one hundred percent and regardless of whether I win or lose, I'm going to enjoy this." Ava clenched her teeth, annoyed by her opponent and called out her Altaria. William proceeded to bring his Dragonair out for round two.

"Altaria, Aerial Ace."

"Dragonair, wait for it." Altaria was approaching quickly. "Wait for it…" Altaria was right in front of Dragonair. "Now! Dragon Tail!" Dragonair spun around and whipped its tail surrounded by purple energy to knock Altaria back. Instead of being sent back into its pokeball, Altaria was knocked out. The crowd absolutely loved this battle as they cheered loudly for both sides.

Ava recalled her Altaria and brought out her Eelektross. "Use Charge Beam."

"Dodge it and set up a Dragon Dance." Dragonair moved out of the way and red and blue clouds spun around it.

"Don't give it a chance, use Thunderbolt!" Eelektross shot a powerful blast of electricity that made contact with Dragonair. The majestic dragon-type was covered in bruises and scratches from taking so many hits.

"Use Waterfall!" Dragonair moved through the field until it was underneath Eelektross.

"Hit it with Discharge! Do it now!" Eelektross charged electricity until it unleashed an electrical current that managed to hit Dragonair before it could strike.

"Guess I'm down to my last one," William said, maintaining his smile. "Let's give it everything we've got, Mawile!" A tiny pokemon with a Venus flytrap extending from the back of its head appeared and Eelektross was frightened by its ability, Intimidate.

"Don't be scared of it, Eelektross. Use Charge Beam."

"Dodge it then use Play Rough." Mawile cleanly dodged the stream of electricity as it ran up to Eelektross and hit it repeatedly.

As Mawile started moving away, Ava called out, "Bite it and don't let it go of it!" Eelektross had a tight grip on Mawile's hand, preventing it from escaping it.

"Use Power-up Punch repeatedly!" Mawile began thrusting punches on the ground with Eelektross hanging on its hand and each punch was stronger than the last until Eelektross fainted.

Ava clenched her teeth as tight as she could as she brought out her Hawlucha. "Use Hone Claws." Its claws shined white again. "Brick Break." Hawlucha's hand began glowing white as well.

"Play Rough!"

Both pokemon ran towards each other and at the last second, Ava called out, "Flying Press!" Hawlucha jumped into the air and dropped itself onto Mawile who was not expecting that attack.

Mawile was still able to fight so while Hawlucha was still near, William commanded, "Ice Fang!" The teeth on Mawile's Venus flytrap head became icy as it bit down on Hawulucha, covering its legs.

"Brick Break!" Hawlucha hit the Venus flytrap.

"Don't let go!" Mawile persisted.

"Keep using Brick Break." The little bird pummeled Mawile with a barrage of Brick Breaks with both hands until the steel-type was forced to let Hawlucha go.

"Finish it with a Flying Press." The wrestler jumped up and landed on Mawile, knocking it out. There was a moment of silence before the crowd went wild with cheering.

Even as William recalled his Mawile, he had a smile on his face, "That was a great battle, Ava."

Ava, now satisfied that she won, said, "Yeah, it was." She turned and walked back to the dugout and so did he. With that, Professor Rowan concluded the Battle Set and wished the students a good weekend.

**Wow! That was a really, really long chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! For OCs, you can look at the criteria on Chapter 7 or PM me and if there's a battle between characters that are in this story already that you'd really like to see, you can PM me that too!**

**QOTD: What is your favorite legendary?**

**Remember, if you have an idea for a QOTD or POTD, PM me and I can post it in future chapters. Legacy, out!**


	12. Chapter 12: Little Lumiose

**How's it going everyone?! Sorry that it took almost a week again but I had work on Saturday, the World Cup final was on Sunday, and I finally got Pokemon Y yesterday so you can bet that I was playing it all day. Anyway, I'm sure you guys have noticed this by now but I usually post these chapters late at night. I live on the west coast of the U.S. so I post these chapters around midnight so for those of you who get the updates like at 2-3 in the morning, I apologize. I do this because after I finish writing and proofreading a chapter, I like to post it and wake up to all your awesome reviews and messages. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and PM'd me an OC. I really appreciate reviews especially if they offer constructive criticism because it helps me become a better author for you guys. There is a new OC in this chapter, she is not properly introduced, but I'll still give a shout out to the creator, callofduty1944. I'll give you another shout out for your OC when I properly introduce her as well.**

**So for last chapter's QOTD, it would have been another tie between Mewtwo and Groudon but we haven't had any winners for these QOTD or POTD's so I'll break the tie. My favorite legendary is Mewtwo, yes, mostly because of nostalgic reasons, but also for the fact that he is just plain awesome. I mean, he got two movies and two specials (well the second movie and the second special had a different Mewtwo, but still). I'm going to start giving shout outs only to the winners so shout out to reven228 and Red Alfa. Double special thanks to Red Alfa for recommending this story to a friend. So many shout outs this chapter! But I'm done. I promise. On with the story!**

**Chapter 12: Little Lumiose**

It was about nine in the morning when Mark was sitting in the third floor study room of the Tao Dorm typing away on his laptop, "…Just yesterday, on our way to the Battle Set, Alaina's roommate, Serena, came up to us asking for our help—well actually, Alaina's help—because Serena lost her pokeball. We went looking all over the place until my friend Stephen managed to find it in her last class. Looks like he CAN do more than just sleep. Anyway, I'm having a really good time here. Thanks again for letting me come here,

Love,

Mark

P.S. Eric's good too."

He looked over his email one more time to make sure everything was good and clicked the send button. The crimson-eyed boy stretched his arms up towards the ceiling and took a deep breath before exhaling and relaxing his muscles. Mark didn't want to wake Alex or Pikachu up so he decided to go to the study room to do a bit of homework and email his parents. Besides, no one would be able to peek over his shoulder and read his email in there. He even liked the feel of the room which was air conditioned lightly and illuminated naturally by the morning sun.

Suddenly, he heard his Pokegear ring and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hey Twilight Vampire!"

He laughed to himself, "Good morning, Jessica. What's up?"

"Good morning! And well, I'm over in Alaina's room with her and Serena and we were wondering if you guys wanted to go into town? There's this area called Little Lumiose with lots of shops and places to eat and other fun stuff."

"Yeah, sure. Let me ask Alex and the others."

"Okay, great! I already called Brock and he said he was in. Let's meet by the bus stop?"

"Sure, sounds like a plan."

"Alright, bye!" With that, Mark hung up and put his laptop away in its bag before heading back to his room. As he walked in, he heard the shower on and found Pikachu sleeping alone in Alex's bed so he decided to put his laptop bag on his desk and go ask his neighbors if they wanted to go into town. In the next room, he found Karitoru doing sit-ups with Pancham holding his feet and Stephen sleeping underneath his sheets.

"Ninety-eight! Ninety-nine! One-hundred!" Karitoru laid back and Pancham let go of his legs so he could lay down on the floor. The white-haired boy looked up to find his neighbor standing at the entrance to the restroom so he sat up right and said, "Mornin'! What's up?"

"Good morning. Jessica called me and asked if we wanted to go with her, Brock, and the other girls into town today."

"Yeah, I'm down!" Karitoru responded. "What time are we leaving?"

"I think they wanted to leave soon but I'll call Jessica back and tell her to give us an hour so all of you guys can get ready." They could hear the water stop running and the shower curtain slide open.

"Well I think Alex just needs to get dressed now and I can probably get ready in like fifteen minutes."

"What about Stephen?"

"Hold on, lemme' find out." Karitoru picked up one of his sandals and threw it at the lump laying in Stephen's bed underneath the sheets.

The lump started moving and Stephen came out with his black hair messy as usual. He looked around before saying, "Hey, I was sleeping."

Mark laughed, "Do you want to go into the city today? Jessica said there was a place called Little Lumiose where they have all sorts of stores and restaurants and stuff."

Stephen shrugged, "Yeah, sure. Is anyone in the shower?"

"I think Alex just got out," Karitoru responded. "You can shower before me. I want to get a set of push-ups in before leaving." With that, Mark headed to his room to call Jessica back and found Alex putting on his hat while checking himself in the mirror.

"Hey can I be the best man at your wedding when you marry that mirror?" Mark teased as he walked passed him and into his room.

"Nope, Pikachu is the best man. You can be the flower girl."

The crimson-eyed boy laughed, "Whatever dude. By the way, Jessica called asking if we wanted to go with her and the others into town."

"Who's going?"

"Me, Karitoru, Stephen, Jess, Alaina, Brock, and Serena."

"Alright, I'm down!"

"Okay, I'll tell Jessica." Mark walked into his room and made his call. A few seconds later, the water started running again so Mark knew that Stephen got into the shower. Mark spent the rest of his time browsing through Yahoo! News while Alex played with Pikachu.

As Mark looked over the screen he said, "Hey, you know who Red was right?"

"You mean THE Red? Who doesn't?!"

"Well it says right here that when he went on his journey, he saw all of the pokemon indigenous to Kanto except for one."

"Really?! Which one is that?"

"It's called Mew." Mark clicked on a link that showed wall carved with the picture of a cat-like pokemon with large eyes and a long tail.

"I wonder what ever happened to him…"

"Hey guys, let's go!" Alex and Mark looked up to find their neighbors standing at the entrance to the restroom. Mark turned off his laptop and put it back into its bag before the four boys went down to the bus stop where the rest of their friends were.

* * *

"And guys always complain that girls take long!" Jessica teased.

"You totally do!" Alex responded.

Alaina shook her head, "Not Jessica."

The older sister smiled proudly and said, "I wake up looking this good."

The bus had arrived and Alex walked towards it. "Then I guess you better start taking your time," he teased and ran inside.

"Oh you little shit!" Jessica said as she ran in after him. The others laughed as they walked inside and took their seats. As others students came in, Karitoru noticed a familiar face that sat a few seats down on the other side of the isle.

"Hey, William!" Karitoru greeted.

The silver-eyed boy was holding hands with a beautiful girl with fair skin, blonde hair tied into a high ponytail, and light gray eyes. She wore a short, sleeveless, white and orange dress, black shorts, and white and orange boots. William looked over at Karitoru and said, "Oh hey! Karitoru, right?"

"Yeah, that's me" the snow haired boy responded with a smile. "I saw your battle yesterday. It was really awesome."

"Thanks!" The silver-eyed boy replied with a friendly smile of his own. "This is Korrina,"

Karitoru looked at the blonde girl who smiled and waved, "Hey, nice to meet you."

"Korrina is from Shalour City too," William responded before turning to his girlfriend. "Karitoru is Kurai's son."

Korrina looked at the white haired boy with a surprised expression, "Oh that's right! I remember you! Back home, I go watch your dad's battles and I remember that he had a son. Wow I can't believe we all ended coming here! Isn't it great?!"

Karitoru smiled, "Yeah, I'm excited to start battling. Oh by the way, these are my friends." The others introduced themselves to William and Korrina.

"Nice to meet you all," said William. "Where are you guys headed?"

"Little Lumiose," Jessica responded. "I wanted to show the freshmen around."

"Yeah, that's a pretty cool place," Korrina responded. "There are a lot of cafés down there just like in the real Lumiose City."

"Yeah, they have everything there" William added, "Barber shops for people and pokemon, places to get your pictures taken, restaurants, and a small replica of Prism Tower."

"Woah" said Alex and Mark in unison.

"There's an arcade there too, right?" William asked.

"Arcade?!" Alex asked. "I know where I'm going!" William and Korrina laughed.

"So where are you guys going?" Karitoru asked.

"We're going over to this new diner in Southeast Newport City," William replied. "The little lady here loves her bacon."

"Newport City?" Karitoru asked.

"Yeah, it's the city here on this island" William said. "Then there are the different parts of it like Little Lumiose or Broadwalk, which is where we're going."

* * *

A short bus ride later, Alex and his friends had to get off because it was their stop and they had to say goodbye to William and Korrina. As Alex stepped off the bus, his foot was met with golden bricks and cobblestones. Trees were lined up on either side of the street and people were bustling around and going in and out of shops.

"Wow this place is awesome!" Alex said with a giant smile.

Jessica took a step forward to take in the sight, then turned around to face the others, and said, "Alright everyone let's go shopping!" A look of surprise formed on her face as she saw Alex, Karitoru, and Stephen running, already halfway to the nearest corner. "Where are they going?!"

Mark looked over to his left where his roommate was supposed to be but groaned when he realized he ditched him. _Damn it Alex! You could at least give me heads up!_

Brock walked over to Jessica and took her hands in his, "They may have left but I will never leave your side! I would love to assist you in your shopping!"

Jessica laughed nervously, "Thanks, Brock!" She looked over at Mark, "So do you want to come too?"

He shrugged and gave a light smile, "Sure, I mean those butt munches are probably already halfway to Kanto now."

"Okay great!" Jessica said as she grabbed him by the arm, "Let's go!" The remaining others followed them into a clothing store called Forever 16.

As Mark entered, he said, "Uh isn't this a girl's clothing store?"

"Yeah, but there's a men's side over there" Jessica responded. "Unless you'd much rather help us pick out our outfits." She gave wink to tease him.

Mark's face got red as Brock said, "I would love to help you ladies!"

Serena put her hands on Brock's back as she started pushing him, "Oh no you don't! Go with Mark to look at men's clothes." Mark laughed as he walked alongside Brock after Serena stopped pushing him. The boys started looking through shirts but Mark wasn't really thinking of buying anything. He was just looking around and talking to Brock to pass the time. After about twenty minutes, the crimson-eyed boy got very bored so he just leaned against a wall. Ten more minutes passed before the girls came out with bags full of clothes. Alaina only carried one bag while Jessica and Alaina had about three in each hand. Mark's jaw dropped when he saw how many bags there were because he knew from watching TV and movies that he'd get stuck holding them.

Jessica walked up to them and said, "Well we're all done with this store. You guys didn't like anything?"

"Nope," Mark responded. "Wait did you just say with _this_ store?"

"Well yeah!" Jessica said. "There are still like at least six more that I really want to go to!" Mark was not going to enjoy this. As they exited the store, the group noticed a crowd of girls by a nearby fountain.

"Hey, I wonder what's going on over there" Serena said.

"Let's go check it out," Jessica responded as she and her friends went to see what the commotion was about. As they got closer, they saw a familiar face sitting on the edge of the concrete fountain with a Pikachu on his arm. He was obviously flexing his muscles, which is why he wore a muscle shirt. The girls were melting at the sight of his muscles, hazel eyes, and the Pikachu that seemed to like the attention as well.

"Hey isn't he from school?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, that's Matt Roberts" Jessica said with distaste in her voice.

Matt looked up and upon seeing a familiar face, he smiled, stood up, and walked through the crowd of girls to get to her. Jessica, who was usually smiling, was scowling as the teenage boy walked over to her with a big smile and his Pikachu on his shoulder. "Well if it isn't Jessica? How've you been?" he asked in a friendly tone.

Jessica turned around and began walking as she said, "Fine. Come on guys, let's get going. There's nothing here to see."

The others started walking but Matt ran past them until he was in front of Jessica. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk to you. That's what." She walked around him and continued. He stood there watching as she walked away and her friends followed.

When they were a good distance away, Alaina asked, "Who was that, Jess?"

"A sleazy, no good, lying scumbag." Jessica responded, still fuming.

Mark put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped. "I've never seen you like this, Jessica. What's wrong?"

Jessica took a deep breath and let it out before turning around and responding, "Okay, Matt is my ex-boyfriend…" The others were taken slightly aback except for Brock who most likely already knew because he and Jessica knew each other from the year before. "We broke up because when I went through his Pokegear, I found messages from at least six different girls."

"Whoa, I can't believe that guy would cheat on you like that" Mark responded.

Jessica said, "Well if you haven't noticed, he happens to be the biggest player on campus."

"So why did you get with him?" Alaina asked.

"I don't know, sis. I was just being stupid. You know how girls always fall for the stupid asshole." She looked to Mark, "Hey, Twilight…" He looked at her waiting to see what she would say. "Please don't ever become like that guy okay?" Mark was slightly taken aback by what she said.

After a second of confusion, Mark smiled and responded, "Alright, I promise." Jessica smiled back at her friend.

"Alright let's continue shopping!" Jessica said with a renewed spirit. Mark sighed as he walked with the others through the variety of stores. The girls didn't make him and Brock go into the boutiques but the older boy insisted.

* * *

An hour and a half later, the five friends were inside a men's clothing store called Stone's. "So this place is really Steven Stone's store?" Serena asked as she looked at a light green short sleeved dress shirt. She turned to Mark and held it up for him, "How about this one?"

Mark took hold of it to examine it as Jessica responded to Serena's first question, "Yup! And everything in here is part of his clothing brand." The store was dimly lighted and the walls sported images of attractive men with beautiful women. Mark decided on purchasing the shirt and some beige jeans but as he and Brock approached the cashier to pay for their clothes, Serena stopped them, "Let me pay for your clothes."

Brock shook his head as Mark said, "No, it's okay, I've got it. Thanks!"

She responded, "Come on, let me pay for it as payment for you guys carrying our bags around."

Mark thought about it, still not feeling right about letting her pay but not wanting to go back and forth, and surrendered, "Okay, okay." Serena gladly paid for her friends' clothing and as they exited Stone's, she said, "Hey guys, I'm getting kind of hungry.

"Yeah, me too" Jessica replied. We can go to this place where they have the best sandwiches!" The others agreed and followed her to the restaurant. As they got in line to order, Jessica told Mark to call the others so they could meet up for lunch.

Mark heard his roommate's voice from the other end say, "Hello?"

"Thanks for ditching me ass-wipe!"

Alex responded, "Hey, hey, hey! Watch your language young man. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Mark sighed, "Where are you guys?"

"At the arcade," Alex responded nonchalantly. "Alright! High score!" Mark moved the phone away from his ear.

"Dude, any louder?"

"Sorry!" Alex responded as he continued playing.

"Well we're at this place called sandwich place called Every Wich Way. Do you guys want to meet us over here?"

"Yeah, we'll be there in a bit" Alex responded.

Mark hung up his phone before the cashier said, "Excuse me sir, you're next."

"Oh, sorry!" Mark said as he quickly stepped forward and asked for a turkey on wheat. After getting their food, the group sat down at a table outside and started talking and eating.

Serena was telling the others about her mother, "She's one of the best Ryhorn racers in the world! She even taught me how to Ryhorn race and I've been doing it since I was like seven years old. It's so much fun! I love it so much!" As Serena spoke, Mark took a sip of his soda before looking up to find a beautiful girl with light brown hair held by orange spheres into two wing-like shapes—one on each side of her head—while the rest of her hair flowed gently down her back. Her light brown eyes darted away upon contact with his. He could have sworn that he saw a tint of red forming on her fair cheeks. She wore a white and light blue dress that reached just above her knees and white sandals. To complete her outfit, she had an orange bow on her chest that matched the spheres in her hair.

Jessica noticed that Mark was looking at something so she followed his eyes to find that he was looking at the brown-haired girl. As soon as he saw Jessica looking over there, he looked elsewhere to try and cover up. Jessica turned back to him with a giant grin as she said, "Hey, do you like her?" Serena stopped talking, now waiting to see what Jessica was talking about, and so where Alaina and Brock.

Mark could feel his cheeks heat up as he said, "What? No."

Jessica's smile grew even wider as she said, "You're such a bad liar, you know?"

"Which girl?" Serena asked.

"The girl with the light brown hair sitting over there with her friends." The others turned around to see who Jessica was talking about, and they were conspicuous about it. There were three other girls at that table. One was short, standing around five foot one and had dark brown hair that reached her shoulder blades, kept in a high ponytail. Her brown eyes matched her hair and her skin was slightly tanned. She wore a red T-shirt, blue jean shorts, and orange, black, and white running shoes with black socks. The next girl, which was the tallest of the four girls had fair skin, burning red hair that burst out wildly from behind the blue scrunchy that tied it, and dark red eyes. She wore a red tube top with a yellow star in front under a black sleeveless vest—tied just underneath her chest to show her abdomen—dark blue pants, held by a white sash with faint red flames at the end, and black and red shoes. The last of the girls was of average height with short black hair, light skin, and light brown eyes that seemed to welcome everything they looked at. She wore a yellow kimono—tied by a red sash—white socks, and brown sandals.

Brock turned back around as he said, "Isn't that Jasmine?"

"Yeah" Jessica responded.

"You guys know her?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, she's in our class" Brock responded. "She's one of the top scholars."

Jessica stood up from her chair and leaned in towards Mark, maintaining her large grin, as she asked, "Want me to introduce to her?"

"No! I don't like her!"

"Okay, not you don't 'like'" Jessica said as she held air quotes, "But you think she's pretty, right?"

Mark felt as though his cheeks were burning so bright that he would be able to see the red color emanating from them. "Well yeah—"

"Then I'll introduce you!" Jessica said as she grabbed him by the wrist and tried pulling him out of his seat.

Mark fought back with all his strength as he whined, "Come on, Jessica, knock it off!"

"Uh, what's going on here?" Alex asked as the others looked up to find him, Karitoru, and Stephen standing next to their table.

Serena responded, "Jessica's trying to get Mark to go over to talk to that girl over there because he likes her."

Now Alex had a giant grin as he said, "No way! Which one?!"

"The one with light brown hair" Serena said as she looked in Jasmine's direction.

"Serena!" Mark said as she gave him a guilty smile.

"You mean the one with the orange things in her hair?" Stephen asked. Serena nodded.

Alex looked at Jasmine then at Mark with his mouth open from shock. He looked back at her as she and her friends were leaving and shouted, "Hey!" Jasmine, her three friends, and a few other people around looked at Alex. Jasmine saw that he was talking to her but to make sure, she pointed to herself and made a face showing that she was asking if he was talking to her. Alex nodded, "Yeah! My friend thinks you're really cute!"

He pointed to Mark who by this time, was free from Jessica but couldn't do anything but drop his head onto the table and whine, "Guys, shut up!" The shortest and tallest girls began laughing but the one wearing a kimono stood quiet with a gentle smile as Jasmine blushed slightly.

Jasmine's friends began walking and the red-haired girl said, "Hey, you coming?" Jasmine looked back at Alex's group, more specifically, Mark who was looking down at the table with cheeks burning bright red, before following her friends.

Mark looked at Alex and complained, "Dude! Why'd you do that?!"

"Well you weren't going to do anything so I thought, 'might as well get her attention before she leaves.' Besides, she totally likes you!"

"If she did, she wouldn't have just left."

"Dude, she was blushing," Karitoru said, "Which you would've known if you weren't trying to be an ostrich."

Mark stayed quiet as Alex said, "Well, I'm hungry, let's go get some sandwiches." Karitoru and Stephen followed him inside.

**To be honest, I just typed away at this chapter and before I knew it, I was already at almost 4K words so I decided not to make every chapter ridiculously long like the last one. I am still accepting OCs and I haven't posted the criteria since chapter 7 so here it is again: name, age, gender, year at the academy OR if not a student, their relation to the story, (i.e. teacher, family, someone from a character's past, etc.), background, team (if a student or a trainer), and move set. Everything else, we'll discuss through PM. So this chapter's POTD won't be pokemon related.**

**POTD: What time would you prefer me to post new chapters (according to West Coast USA time)?**

**-Morning**

**-Afternoon**

**-Evening**

**-Doesn't matter**

**Also, if anyone wants to Battle or Trade, PM me for my friend code, but go easy on me! I'm a beginner (for this generation). Legacy, out!**


	13. Chapter 13: Rejection

**Hey there everyone! Thank you to everyone who answered my question for the last chapter. Most of you didn't really mind when I posted chapters so I will post them when they are ready. Now I started working on this chapter at about 4:00 USA west coast time but because my sister had a gathering for her step-daughter's birthday and my friend wanted to go to the pool and jog, I got to start working on it again at around 11:00 over here. I am working on this chapter kind of late but honestly, it's worth it for you guys because once I'm in the zone and I break it by going to sleep, it's hard to get back into it. **

**1crazyshadow: No I didn't, I posted it around 1:30 my time.**

**Anyway, sorry for all the rambling, you guys came here for a new chapter and you're gonna' get one! Thanks to everyone who's commented and PM'd me an OC so far, it's really your guys' contributions to this story that motivates me to write it and include what you guys want in it. Now without further ado, I present, Chapter 13!**

**Chapter 13: Rejection**

Mark finished getting ready and decided that he would go get some breakfast before 11:00 when the cafeteria staff would start taking away the breakfast trays and start serving lunch. As he exited the restroom, he found Alex barely waking up.

"Good morning" Mark said as he went to grab his wallet and Pokegear.

"Morning" Alex said as he sat up and started rubbing one eye. "Hey, listen, about yesterday, I'm sorry I put you on the spot like that."

Mark looked at him, surprised that he apologized. He wasn't even mad at Alex for yesterday but the fact that he apologized made him respect the emerald-eyed boy even more than he already did. "Hey, no worries, I know you were just messing with me. Besides, I wasn't going to go over and talk to her anyway."

Alex looked down at Pikachu who was still sleeping then looked up at his roommate who was already at the door, "Hey," Mark stopped and turned around, "How come you weren't going to talk to her?"

Mark responded, "I don't know, I guess I was just really nervous to go over and talk to her."

"Well don't be man, you're a pretty cool dude" Alex replied with a big smile.

Mark smiled too and said, "Thanks. Hey, it's ten thirty. Breakfast is almost over."

"It is?!" Alex hopped out of his bed—waking Pikachu up—and put on his slippers before running out the door without a second thought, leaving his roommate and his pokemon confused.

Mark walked out into the hall and yelled, "You're going like that?!"

"It's Waffle Sunday!" Alex responded as he rounded a corner. Pikachu looked up at Mark and the crimson-eyed boy smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess I should take him his Pokegear and wallet," he said. Pikachu nodded and followed him out the door after Mark got everything he needed and closed the door behind them.

They got to the dining hall and sat down with Alex who was still in his pajamas—a black muscle shirt and a pair of crimson shorts. He was contently eating through a large stack of waffles drenched in maple syrup with blue berries on the side. Mark placed his roommate's Pokegear and wallet on the table causing Alex to look up at him with a mouth full of waffles. He swallowed his food and said, "Hey thanks!" and continued eating. Pikachu jumped onto the seat next to his trainer and the emerald-eyed boy gave him a waffle of his own. Mark quickly went to get breakfast of his own, choosing to eat two waffles with eggs and bacon.

As Mark placed his plate on the table, he said, "You know, if I didn't see it, I wouldn't believe that you could eat so much just from looking at you."

Alex joked, "Oh so you're checking me out now?"

"Oh yes, dude" Mark laughed, "I'm _so_ checking you out."

Alex laughed too, "So what are you gonna' do today?"

"Not sure, why?"

"Attention everyone!" Alex, Mark, and Pikachu turned their attention to find a short girl with short white hair, light skin, and blue eyes walking around while carrying a stack of flyers, a stapler, and a bass as big as her. She wore an off-the-shoulder oversized blue and purple sweater that almost reached her knees, a black tank top, and black and blue boots. Her sweater covered most of her body so it was hard to see what else she was wearing underneath. "I am holding auditions for my band in the Mime Jr. Theatre today at 5:00. There are no restrictions on who's allowed to show. Just be able to play an instrument and show me what you've got!" With that, she stapled a flyer on the bulletin board by the exit and walked out the door.

"Dude, you should totally try out!" Alex said.

"What are you talking about? I don't even play an instrument."

"So why do I always find you tapping your pencils against your notebook in class and in the room?"

"Oh come on, that's different! How are you going to compare making a rhythm with pencils to playing an actual drum set?"

"Simple, all you need is rhythm right? Besides, it doesn't hurt to just try, right?"

"I guess not but—"

"Awesome! Let's check out the flyer then!" Alex quickly got up and ran with Pikachu over to the bulletin board. Mark looked back at Alex's plates to find that they had been licked clean. "Come on!" He felt a hand grab him by the shoulder and pull him until he was in front of the bulletin board. "Koffing and the Toxics," Alex said, "Sounds pretty cool! Hey look, they already have a bassist and guitarist. See, you can fit right in!"

"Yeah but you're forgetting one important thing."

"What's that?"

"I don't have a drum set!"

"I'm sure they'll have one there. I mean come on, they can't be expecting someone to bring a whole drum set, right?"

"I guess you're right."

* * *

Around midday, Alex and Mark were with Jessica in the lunch area of the Student Center building watching a pokemon battle on TV between two professional level trainers. One was Grimsley Nightingale, a pale man with icy blue eyes and black hair styled into three spikes on each side of his head and a thick strand going down his face. He wore a black suit with red cuffs and edges, a white collar shirt, black dress shoes, and a long yellow scarf which flowed freely behind him. Grimsely was a master of dark-type pokemon and his opponent was a young man named Hilbert Black. He had light skin, hazel eyes, and messy brown hair that stuck out from under his red and white hat which had the insignia of a black pokeball. He wore a black shirt underneath a light blue sweater, black pants, and red shoes.

Hilbert commanded, "Excadrill use Aerial Ace!" The steel clawed mole standing in front of him jumped into the air and slashed Grimsley's Scrafty.

The hoodlum pokemon was struck down and it collapsed on its back causing dirt to rise from the field under it. "I never though you would use that move…" a calm smile formed on Grimsley's face, "Not a bad choice at all." Grimsely recalled Scrafty and called out another pokemon. "I say we end this, Bisharp." The bladed pokemon got into a fighting stance with one foot in front of the other and one arm in forward. Its eyes locked with Excadrill and through nonverbal communication, these pokemon could feel the other's determination to win.

Jessica took a sip of her smoothie before commenting, "You know, he used to come here." Alex and Mark turned their attention to their friend.

"Who?" asked Mark.

"Hilbert," she responded as she set her drink down. "He was one of the top students last year and now look at him, already taking on the Unova Elite Four. I heard that as soon as he graduated, he went on his journey and collected his eight badges. It makes sense. He was always in such a hurry to get everything done. His cousin, Hilda still goes here though."

"Do you know her?" asked Alex.

"Yeah, she's a T.A. for one of my classes."

"T.A.?" the boys asked in unison.

"Teaching assistant," Jessica clarified. "She basically just sits wherever she wants, hands out papers for the teacher, and helps students when the teacher is busy."

"So what I'm hearing is she has a free period right?" Alex asked with a mischievous grin.

Jessica responded, "Well fourth years only have four required classes so if they've passed all their other classes their first three years, they get a free period which they can use for different things as long as its productive like being a teaching assistant or a research assistant in one of the labs."

"So we can't like sleep during our free period?" Alex asked before tossing a fry into his mouth and chewing on it.

"I said productive. Besides, those things actually sound like fun! But, if you don't sound interested, I think you can work on campus—"

"Boring!" Alex interrupted.

Jessica looked as though a vein was about to pop out of her head but she continued, "Or if you don't like that, I'm pretty sure they just stick you in a classroom with a boring professor who reviews material from other classes."

Alex put his elbows on the table to support his head which was resting on his hands, "Uhuh, so you were saying about the research?"

Mark and Jessica laughed as the brunette girl smacked Alex upside the head. She then turned to Mark and said, "So hey, Mark, have you seen Jasmine around?"

Mark's cheeks flared up from remembering the events of the previous day, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Jessica laughed as she lightly punched his arm, "Nothing, I'm just messing with you. But, if you don't mind me asking, how come you were so resistant to go and talk to her?"

Mark's cheeks returned to their normal color as he responded, "Well I've always been really shy around girls I like and I've never really gone up to a girl and started talking to her."

"So how about we teach you?" she suggested.

"We?" Alex asked.

"Yes, we!" Jessica responded, "I mean you do know how to talk to a girl, right?"

Alex took that as a challenge, "Ha! Do I know how to talk to a girl?! Jessica, do you know who you're talking to?"

Jessica got him right where she wanted him, "Alright then, if you're so good with girls, why don't you demonstrate? Show Twilight here how it's done."

"Sure thing!" Alex started looking around for a potential girl to talk to until he saw a beautiful fair skinned girl with long dark blue hair and dazzling blue eyes. She wore a white tank top underneath a black sleeveless top, a pink skirt, long black socks underneath pink boots, a small pink scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, and to finish her outfit, a white beanie with the insignia of a tilted pink pokeball. She also had two golden hair clips on either side of her head.

Alex whispered something into Pikachu's ear and the little yellow mouse smiled as it said "Pika!" and gave his owner a thumbs up before running off through the tables and passing people. Alex then got out of his seat and started running after his pokemon until Pikachu ran into the blue haired girl.

The girl crouched down and said, "Hey there, are you okay?"

"Pikachu!" Alex yelled as he approached his pokemon and the blue haired girl. He knelt down and told the yellow mouse, "Don't run off like that."

"Excuse me, is this your Pikachu?" the girl asked.

Alex picked his pokemon up and the little yellow mouse got onto his trainer's shoulders. "Yeah, sorry if he caused you any trouble."

The girl stood around five foot two so she had to look up when speaking to Alex, "Oh it's no problem at all," she responded.

Alex said, "I guess Pikachu saw a pretty girl and thought he'd say hello."

The girl blushed slightly having been complimented. She was used to her mom, aunts, uncles, and her mom's friends saying that she was very pretty but she hadn't really heard it from a boy her age. She had a smirk on her face as she responded, "Are you sure it was Pikachu who wanted to come talk to her?"

Alex smiled as he responded, "Well no, he's not the only one." He let a short pause go by before continuing, "But I'm sure he would like to know the pretty girl's name."

She smiled back, "Her name is Dawn. And what's the nice gentleman's name?"

"Alex," he responded.

"I was talking about Pikachu" she teased. Alex was slightly thrown off so she started giggling as she continued, "I'm messing with you. It's very nice to meet you, Alex, but I've got to get going. See you around campus?" She asked as she started walking.

"Yeah! I'm sure Pikachu would really like that," he said as he scratched the top of his pokemon's head.

"Pika!" it said happily.

She turned around, "Is that so, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" it nodded.

"How'd you like to hang out some time, Dawn?"

"Sure!" she responded.

"Okay, can I get your number?"

"Hmmm…" she started, "Normally, I wouldn't but because you seem like a nice boy and I'd love to see Pikachu some more, I guess I can make an exception just this once."

_Take that Jessica! Doubting my abilities and shit!_ Alex handed his Pokegear so Dawn could register herself.

"Alright, I'll see you around, Alex! Bye Pikachu!"

"Later, Dawn!"

"Pikachu!" They both waved bye to her before returning to their table.

Alex sat down with a confident smile as he said, "Don't you ever doubt me again."

Jessica didn't know what to say except, "Wow, as sleazy as that was, using your pokemon and all, " she turned to Mark, "I hope you learned a few things on how to talk to girls from that."

"You mean use my pokemon as a fishing rod?" Mark teased.

"Uh no! Smile and compliment the girl! Alex called her pretty and he was smiling practically the whole time. You don't want to be the creep that tries talking to a girl with a serious face, right?"

"Okay, I get you" he responded.

"Okay, so go try it out," she responded.

Mark looked surprised, "Wait you mean like right now?"

Jessica responded sarcastically, "No 6:00 tomorrow morning—yes right now!"

"Wait up," Alex said. "How about we take baby steps today? Let's just have him walk up to a girl and tell her that she's pretty."

"Well that works too" Jessica said. "We can do it on the way to your audition."

"You know about that?!"

"Alex told me but that's not important right now. For right now, tell a girl she's pretty before we leave the Student Center."

"Right now?"

"Right now," she said.

"Right now, right now?"

"Yes!"

"Right n—"

"You don't want to play this game, boy" she interrupted.

"Okay, okay! Geez!" He started looking around and found a girl with black hair tied into two long pony tails. She had fair skin and light brown eyes. She wore a white collar shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a light blue sweater wrapped around her waist, a brown skirt, white and blue striped socks, and brown shoes. Even though he didn't see her as this amazingly beautiful girl, she was still very pretty and that was enough for him to completely lose hope. He could feel his cheeks flare up and his heart pound rapidly in his chest. He was very nervous.

Alex encouraged him, "Come on man, you can do it." Mark didn't budge at all.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Jessica asked. The crimson-eyed boy simply nodded as he and his friends stood up and began walking in the direction of the black-haired girl. "We'll be close by, okay?" Jessica said as she and Alex began walking a different direction. Mark nodded as he walked over to the girl, almost mechanically. She looked over at him and Mark noticed that his friends were behind her by a pillar. They both smiled—Jessica adding to it by placing her index fingers on each end of her smile telling Mark to smile. Mark smiled nervously and the girl looked at him with curiosity.

"Uh, hey…" she said.

"H-hey," he felt his heart accelerate to unimaginable speeds. He spoke slowly, "I just came over here to tell you," his palms wear drenched in sweat, "that I think you're really pretty."

The girl had a confused expression for a second before a smile appeared on her face as she responded, "Oh thanks! You're so sweet!"

Mark laughed a little—and nervously, at that. He didn't say anything for a moment which confused the girl, "Okay, bye" he said as he walked away quickly. She watched him walked away in complete confusion.

Alex and Jessica were laughing behind the pillar, to the point that tears were slipping from their eyelids. Mark approached them with a tomato face as Alex said, "Dude why did you stop talking to her?"

"Hey all you said was to say that she's pretty."

Alex continued laughing before saying, "Okay, okay, you got me there. Next time, let's work a little on conversation, 'kay?" Mark nodded as they started walking.

"Hey!" The three turned around to find the girl that Mark had approached standing with an angry expression. She walked up to Mark and poked him in the chest with her index finger, "You think it's funny to walk up to a girl and tell her she's pretty then just walk off? You didn't even ask for my name or introduce yourself! Is this some kind of joke?!" Some people passing by started looking at them.

Alex cut between Mark and the girl, "Look, you've got it all wrong. My friend here is just really, really shy with girls so me and my other friend thought it would be helpful if we showed him how to talk to girls. We didn't mean to embarrass you or anything. We just wanted him to walk up to a girl and tell her she's pretty just so he could get more comfortable around girls."

Her anger disappeared and was replaced with confusion before returning to anger, "So you're trying to turn him into a little player?!"

This time, Jessica stepped forward, "No, it's not that either. Please, I'd hate him if he became a player. It's just that yesterday, he—"

"Don't go telling people you don't even know!" Mark complained.

"It's either that or a slap to the face, bro" Alex responded. The black-haired girl gave a little smirk, confirming Alex's statement. She then turned to Jessica so she could continue.

"So like I was saying, yesterday, he saw this girl and he thought she was really pretty but he was way too shy to go up to her and talk to her so to prevent him from losing out on what could be a really nice girl, we want him to feel comfortable around girls."

"So if he's shy around girls, then why does he talk to you?"

Mark responded, "Well I guess I'm just scared of rejection."

The girl's anger disappeared completely and didn't return, "Well don't be. Rejection is inevitable in life. There's always going to be something you want but can't have and you just have to move forward. You're going to get a lot more no's than yes's but if you don't ask at all, then the answer will always be no." Mark let her words sink. "Don't worry, kid. With friends like these, you'll be fine" she said with a smile before walking off. She stopped and turned around, "Oh! And by the way, my name is Candice."

Mark smiled, "I'm Mark." Candice started to turn around, "Candice," she stopped, "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

She smiled and responded, "No problem. Don't be afraid to take me out for ice cream." She continued walking until she was out of sight.

"Absolutely amazing, ladies and gentlemen!" Alex, Mark, and Jessica went to see what was going on, on the television and found that everyone else in the room was standing up and clapping. "Hilbert Black will be moving on to face the beautiful Caitlin Wittier, the strongest of the Unova Elite Four! How do you think that's going to turn out Jack?"

The other announcer spoke, "Well The kid and his pokemon have so much power and potential, I mean to beat Grimsley is not an easy feat for trainers, but to take on Caitlin, he better be ready for all of the strategies she has up her sleeve."

"Right, right" the first announcer continued, "And we all know how much Caitlin hates losing so she will be putting her all into their battle. And for those of you watching at home, the battle between Hilbert Black and Caitlin Wittier will take place Wednesday night six o' clock standard Unova time."

Alex, Mark, and Jessica looked at one another, excited for the upcoming match. "We so have to watch that!" Alex said.

"Then we better get her or one of the lounges early on Wednesday," Jessica started, "because this place and all the lounges get packed when there are battles like this. And if he makes it passed Caitlin, absolutely everyone is going to be watching him face the Unova Champion, Alder."

"Do you think Hilbert can win?" Mark asked.

"Probably" Jessica responded. "That guy is definitely something else."

* * *

Mark and the others, now accompanied by Brock, Alaina, and Serena were walking to the Mime Jr. Theatre for Mark's audition. On the way, before meeting up with Brock and the girls, Alex and Jessica had Mark approach random girls to tell them that they were pretty. Some responded with a smile and ended up having short conversations with him but a few were very defensive and turned him away quickly and others had boyfriends so they either told him kindly or rudely. Despite some failures, he was feeling better and better about rejection, but with every encounter, down to the last one, he was nervous and that feeling did not go away.

Mark and the others walked into the theatre to find a boy on stage playing the flute—and very poorly at that. The white haired girl and another girl sitting next to her were covering their ears. This other girl had light skin, gray eyes, and black hair tied into a ponytail on the right side of her head with bangs covering her forehead. She wore a black tank top, a red skirt, black knee-high socks, and red Converse. Her nails were painted red and she wore eyeliner.

When the flutist was finished, the white-haired girl said, "Well uh, thanks for auditioning…"

"My favorite part was the ending," the other girl added, "When it ended." The flutist walked off stage, sulking. "Next!"

Mark turned around to his friends and said, "Guys, don't make me do this."

"Dude, you'll be fine!" Alex reassured him. "Who cares what she thinks? Just go down there and show them what you've got."

As Mark walked down the stairs, the others sat down. Jessica asked Alex with a soft voice, "So Mark knows how to play the drums?"

Alex shrugged, "I have no idea."

"Then why did you send him down there?!" she asked.

Alex didn't look away from the stage as he responded, "I don't know if he can play the drums, but I definitely know that the dude's got rhythm."

Mark walked onto the stage, feeling nervous after seeing how the black-haired girl was to the last guy who auditioned. When he stood in front of the girls, the black-haired girl bluntly asked, "Yo! Where's your instrument?"

The white-haired girl said, "Wow don't even introduce yourself, huh?" She turned to Mark and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Roxie, I'm the bass player and this is Billy Jo, the guitarist." They could hear laughter coming from the back of the room.

Jessica and Brock were trying to stifle Alex's laughter by covering his mouth. "Birry Jo!" he mumbled. "Thrat's a guy's name!"

A vein popped out of Billy Jo's head as she asked, "Is that your friend back there?"

Mark sighed, "Yeah, sorry about him. He came to support me."

"So what's your name?" Roxie asked.

"I'm Mark."

"Okay and what instrument do you play?" she asked.

"Well I play the drums but I don't exactly have a kit with me. I was kind of hoping that you guys would have something."

Roxie responded, "Ooh, out of luck. We didn't bring anything for the people auditioning but there might be something backstage" She pointed towards the opening to backstage and Mark went behind the curtain to find a cowbell.

He placed the cowbell down in front of him then looked at Roxie and Billy Jo's table to find an empty cup. "Can I borrow that?" He pointed to it and Roxie, slightly confused, passed it to him. He set the cup down so the base was facing upward and now that everything was in position, he dug through his pocket and pulled out a pencil. He then called out to his friends, "Hey do any of you guys have a pencil on you?" They all searched through their belongings until Alex pulled a pencil out of his pants.

"Right here buddy" he said as he held it up. "Heads up!"

He pulled his hand back and was about to toss it but everyone yelled "No!" while Jessica and the others stopped him from throwing it.

"Go down there and hand it to him!" Jessica commanded as she pointed towards the stage.

"Aw you guys are no fun" he whined as he got out of his seat and walked down the aisle to hand the pencil to his friend.

Now that he had everything in place, Mark sat down on the stage floor with his legs crossed and took a moment to concentrate before tapping the bottom of the cup with both pencils, creating a steady rhythm. Without breaking from the rhythm, he hit the cowbell in intervals, then adding on to his cup and cowbell, he started hitting the stage floor with his pencils. As his rhythm went on, he even pounded the stage floor with the side of his hand to add depth. The different pieces of his makeshift drum set were coming together in a flowing rhythm until the last strike of his pencil on the cup. He looked up to find Roxie nodding her head with a soft smile but Billy Jo started laughing.

"Boy, to be a rock star, you need to play an actual instrument."

"Now hold on, Billy Jo," Roxie said. "I think he can join the band."

"What?!" the black-haired girl asked with a surprised expression.

"Come on, to create a rhythm without an actual drum set is not easy. That sounded pretty good. I'm sure Nicky would let him use his drum set until he gets an actual set of his own."

Billy Jo thought about it for a bit before giving in, "Okay, I guess he was pretty good." She looked at Mark and continued, "But we're definitely going to have to change up your wardrobe."

"What's wrong with the way I dress?"

"She's right, Mark" Roxie said. "You need to wear something that says 'Rock Star.' How about we take you shopping on Friday after the Battle Set?"

"Okay…so does that mean I'm in?"

"Yup!" Roxie nodded. Cheering could be heard from the back of the room as Mark's friends came down to congratulate him.

**Whew! I'm happy to have this chapter done for you guys and I finally found a name for a chapter that just straight up summarizes the whole point of it so woohoo! Okay, so I want you guys to know that I will always accept OC applications. Do not be afraid to submit them. The application is on both Chapter 7 and Chapter 12 and you can always PM for it if you are interested in creating a character and seeing it here. Now because I get a lot of these for an OCs team, I am sorry to inform you guys, if you wanted to submit one with one of these pokemon, but all eeveelutions and dragon-types are unavailable because well everyone wants one, right?**

**So for this chapter's QOTD: What did I make a reference to in this chapter? (This is kind of a tough one if you've never seen the movie.)**

**Thanks for reading this chapter and I'll see you next time. Legacy, out!**


	14. Chapter 14: Threats

**Legacy's back with another chapter for you guys this week! I wanted to post it before the weekend because I'll be busy Saturday and Sunday. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys made my day because I am so glad that you enjoyed what happened to Mark and Alex's antics. Thanks also to those of you who sent in an OC and I apologize to everyone who's OC I have accepted but I have not shown, I promise that they will appear later on.**

**So for last week's QOTD, for those of you who answered Pitch Perfect, you are ABSOLutely correct! Get it? Absol. Pokemon. Eh? Eh? Ok I'll just stop, I'm sorry.**

**Anyway, you guys did not come here to read my lame jokes, you came here for a new chapter of Pokemon Academy: A New Dawn so enough of my meaningless monologue. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 14: Threats**

The afternoon sun was making its way to the horizon, changing the bright blue sky into a more faded one. There were a few clouds scattered throughout the sky drifting along lazily as students bustled around beneath. This was around the time when students did a multitude of things from doing homework to playing sports with friends to going to eat to training their pokemon. Being thousands of miles away from home didn't have to be as scary as it sounded.

Karitoru, Stephen, and Alaina were exiting Professor Rowan's office, having gone there because Alaina had a question about branched evolution which he answered with a ten minute speech, almost putting the boys to sleep. The three friends were on their way to do a bit of training—Alaina mostly just wanted to watch. Despite going to a school that teaches students to be trainers, Alaina didn't like the idea of pokemon hurting each other. When she stepped up to help Alex against the Arbok, she only wanted to fight to protect her friends, their pokemon, and Dedenne and even when she took a stand, she didn't actually attack the Arbok. She was just too kind-hearted to wish something bad upon any living thing.

"Wait so Mark got in even without playing the drums?" Karitoru asked.

"Yeah," Alaina responded, "The girl really liked the rhythm that he made with the cowbell, the cup, and the stage floor."

Stephen asked, "So how are they going to perform a real show if he doesn't have drums?"

"I think they are going to ask a friend to let him borrow his drum set until Mark can get one of his own," the pale skinned girl replied.

"Wow," Karitoru said, "I didn't know the guy could play an instrument."

"Do you play any instruments?" Alaina asked.

"Nope. Unless you count punching a tree in rhythm an instrument" he joked.

"I'm surprised you're not in an orchestra" Stephen responded. The guys laughed and Alaina giggled. She had an adorable little giggle which made the boys laugh even more. However, their laughter was soon interrupted.

"Give us your pokemon!" Karitoru and the others looked around but didn't find anyone talking directly to them.

"Guys, over there!" Stephen pointed to the parking lot of the research building where four people were standing. They recognized one as Professor Birch who was standing with his back against his car door while holding a briefcase up to his chest. The other three were wearing suits that resembled that of crusaders. The suits consisted of black long-sleeved shirts and pants underneath short-sleeved light blue shirts. They also wore light blue gloves, boots, and headdress, and a white garment with the insignia of a black and white shield with a blue "P" in the center and a blue "Z" going through it.

"Why do you want them?" asked Professor Birch.

"We want to free them!" one of the suited men responded. "Humans use pokemon as slaves and we forget that they have feelings too. Team Plasma will liberate them so that selfish people like you cannot keep them in pokeballs for experiments and for trainers who just order them around."

"You're wrong!" Birch responded. "Yes, there are trainers who abuse their pokemon but there are also those who treat them like friends and companions rather than pets or slaves."

"You said it yourself!" another suited man said. "If we free all pokemon, then bad trainers will no longer exist. Free those pokemon and destroy their pokeballs. You'll be doing them a favor."

"Absolutely not! These pokemon are well taken care of! I will not release them into the wild where they will get attacked by predators!"

The third suited man responded, "Then you leave us no choice!" They started getting close to the professor but Karitoru and the others got between them.

"Back off!" Karitoru said with his fists raised. Stephen was at his side ready to fight too while Alaina stood next to the professor.

"Who the hell are you three?" asked one of the suited men.

"We're students here" Stephen responded. "And we happen to be trainers who care about our pokemon. We're not letting you take them away."

"That's only a selfish perspective. How about we settle this with the thing you three love so much? A pokemon battle."

"So you guys say you're trying to liberate pokemon yet you use them in battles?" Karitoru asked. "Sounds like a scam to me."

"We use them to get through to thick headed selfish trainers like you!" All three strangers stepped back, grabbed a pokeball, and tossed them out. The three pokemon that came out were a small purple feline, a brown rodent with mesmerizing red and yellow eyes, and a little brown crocodile with black stripes.

Karitoru and Stephen looked at each other and smiled as the white haired boy turned back to his opponents and said, "I'm up for any kind of battle. Let's go Pancham!" Karitoru tossed out a pokeball and the little Panda landed on its feet, prepared for battle.

"Same here" Stephen said, "Shepard, I choose you!" A green canine with yellow markings, known as Electrike, appeared before him.

Pumpkaboo appeared next to Pancham and Shepard so Karitoru and Stephen turned and find Alaina next to them as well. "We're helping too." The six opponents faced off, three on each side with their pokemon standing before them, ready to fight.

"Sandile use Dig!" The little crocodile began digging through the asphalt of the parking lot.

"Purrloin, Sand-Attack!"

"Patrat, Leer!" Karitoru, Stephen, and Alaina prepared for their opponent's attacks and countered.

"Pancham, hit him with a Leer of your own!" The little panda stared back at the brown rodent and the two mammalian pokemon were locked into a staring contest to see who would falter first.

"Shepard dodge the Sand-Attack and use Thunder Wave!" The green dog jumped over the incoming sand, and created a small current of electricity around Purrloin, paralyzing it.

"Purloin use Scratch!"

"Pumpkaboo, Confuse Ray!" The little pumpkin shot a flashing orb that connected with the cat, adding confusion to its paralysis.

Stephen took advantage, "Use Tackle!" Shepard started running but the ground in front of it cracked and out came Sandile, knocking the green canine back. "Shit I forgot about him."

"Pumpkaboo use Trick-or-Treat." Ghosts formed around it and flew towards Sandile, surrounding it. When they disappeared, Sandile looked around not really sure of what had just happened and its trainer was just as confused.

"Use Dig again!" Sandile began burrowing down again.

"I'll keep an eye on the Sandile" Alaina said to Stephen.

"Right" he nodded. "Thanks!"

Pancham and Patrat were still glaring right at each other, "Put more pressure Pancham!" The little panda stared harder with more determination in its eyes as Patrat continued staring back until it started to feel Pancham's determination. That's when the brown rodent looked away and Karitoru took his opportunity, "Use Karate Chop!" Pancham ran quickly and jumped into the air before coming down on Patrat with a swift chop, knocking it back. "Keep at it with Arm Thrust," Patrat's trainer was thrown off by Karitoru's own skills as a trainer and forgot to give Patrat an order as it was pummeled with a flurry of Arm Thrusts until it fainted. "One down, two to go." Patrat was returned to its pokeball.

"Shepard use Tackle!" It started running again towards Purrloin.

"Scratch it!" Purrloin attempted to attack Shepard but it scratched itself in its confusion.

"Sandile come up now!"

Alaina had him where she wanted him, "Astonish!" Pumpkaboo rammed into Sandile, knocking it away from Shepard allowing the green canine to attack Purrloin and finish it off. Purloin's trainer recalled it.

"What the?!" Sandile's trainer said. "That shouldn't have done that much damage! Sandile's a dark-type!"

Alaina explained, "Trick-or-Treat makes the target a ghost-type in addition to the types it already has. Now because Sandile is a ground, dark, _and_ ghost-type, Pumpkaboo was able to do a bit more damage to it. Pumkaboo, one more Astonish."

"Use Dig!"

"Grab him Pancham!"

"You too Shepard!" The two pokemon grabbed onto Sandile while Pumpkaboo rammed itself into it, knocking it out.

The three suited men recalled their fainted pokemon and started running away. "This isn't the last time you'll hear of Team Plasma! We will liberate all pokemon!" They ran into a car and drove away.

"Looks like those hoodlums caused a mess in the parking lot" Birch said. "The school will have to get this fixed and those criminals will pay for trying to steal my pokemon. I'll call Officer Jenny" He called the police and told them what had happened, describing the three culprits before hanging up and thanking Karitoru, Stephen, and Alaina for their help.

"It's no problem, professor" Karitoru said. "Those guys looked like they were up to no good."

"Well how about I give you three something as thanks?" he responded as he placed the briefcase on the hood of his car and opened it. "I returned to my lab in Hoenn this past weekend because this is around the time that new trainers start coming in for their starter pokemon. There weren't that many new trainers this year so I have some remaining pokemon and I'd like you three to have them." He picked up the pokeballs and one by one, called out the pokemon inside. "These three pokemon are the Hoenn starters. First up, we have Treecko, the grass-type wood gecko pokemon." A small green gecko pokemon appeared with its arms crossed and a confident smirk on its face. "Next is Torchic, the fire-type chick pokemon." A tiny orange chick appeared and began flapping its tiny wings but it was not able to fly. "And last, but not least, Mudkip, the water-type mud fish pokemon." The last pokemon was a little blue four-legged fish-like pokemon that wagged its webbed tail.

"Wait you're just giving us these pokemon?!" Karitoru asked from disbelief.

"Well of course," Birch responded. "I think they'll be in capable hands."

Karitoru, Stephen, and Alaina stepped forward and each made their decision. Stephen was attracted to the confidence that resonated from Treecko so he chose the grass-type. "I like to nickname my pokemon," he said, "so I'll name this Treecko Specter."

Karitoru found Mudkip very interesting in appearance so he went with the water-type. He smiled down at the little water-type, "I'm okay with just calling you Mudkip."

"Mudkip!" it responded happily.

Being the only one left, Alaina gladly accepted the adorable little fire-type and now all three pokemon were content with their new trainers. Professor Birch handed each of them their pokemon's respective pokeball and the starters were recalled to their homes.

"Thank you for the pokemon" Alaina said.

"Yeah, we really appreciate it" added Stephen.

"No problem" Birch responded with a friendly smile. "Take good care of them, now."

"You can bet that we will!" Karitoru added.

Stephen looked at his pokeball then turned to his roommate and said, "Karitoru…" The snow-haired boy looked at his friend. Stephen had a look of determination as he said, "Let's have a rematch."

Karitoru was taken aback by Stephen's sudden request but then a smile crept onto his face as he responded, "You're on." Alaina looked surprised because of the sudden challenge as she looked back and forth between her friends who were walking away from each other. She stood next to Professor Birch who had a smile on his face. He hadn't actually seen a pokemon battle between any of the three Hoenn starters for quite some time. Karitoru and Stephen turned around to face each other, both excited to be battling the other. "What are the rules?" Karitoru asked.

"It's a one on one between our new pokemon. When one faints, the battle is over."

The snow haired teen couldn't stop smiling as he responded, "Sounds good to me!" It was silent as the two friends stood staring at each other in the fading warmth of twilight. Their eyes locked and both trainers could feel their opponent's determination. In a sudden switch from stillness to momentum, both trainers threw their pokeballs and summoned their new pokemon.

Both pokemon made their calls, "Treecko!"

"Mudkip! Mud!"

"Specter, use Pound!"

"Mudkip, Tackle!" Both pokemon ran toward each other and attacked. Specter pulled its fist back and when Mudkip was within range, it punched the little water-type. Mudkip rammed itself into Specter's fist and the two were pushed back by the impact. The two pokemon and their trainers kept their eyes on their opponents.

"Again, Mudkip!"

"Use Leer!" As Mudkip ran to Specter, the green gecko stared at its incoming opponent, throwing it off a bit. Stephen took advantage of that opening, "Pound!" Specter jabbed Mudkip with a left hook, knocking it away.

"You okay Mudkip?"

"Kip!"

"Awesome! Use Mud-Slap!" Mudkip ran to a nearby patch of dirt and with its tail, shot piles of mud at Specter.

"Dodge!" It ran, dodging the incoming attack as Mudkip continuing shooting mud at it. Specter, however, was too fast and managed to dodge all of the attacks. "Use Absorb!" Specter stopped running and looked at Mudkip. Suddenly, small bits of yellow energy left the mud fish pokemon and went into the gecko.

"What was that?!" Alaina asked.

"That was Absorb," Professor Birch responded, "it steals the energy of an opposing pokemon and heals the user."

Karitoru smiled, "We've got some tricks up our sleeve too. Mudkip, Mud-Slap." The little blue water-type began hitting the mud beneath its feet at Specter.

"This again? Specter Dodge!" The grass-type managed to dodge the attacks with ease.

"Aim at its feet!" Mudkip predicted where Specter would step and shot mud right so when the gecko pokemon stepped, it slipped.

"Crap!"

"Use Tackle, Mudkip!"

As the water-type ran, it said "Kip! Kip! Kip! Kip!" until it rammed into Specter, knocking it back.

"Specter, use Absorb again!" Mudkip was only six feet away so Treecko had perfect aim as it started sapping its opponent's energy away. "He's weak now. Finish it with a pound!"

"Dodge it!" Mudkip did not have enough time to recover as Treecko quickly ran, jumped into the air, and came down with a punch, knocking the mud fish pokemon out.

Karitoru could only watch as his new pokemon was knocked out. He simply returned Mudkip to its pokeball while Stephen did the same to his Treecko. This time, Stephen approached Karitoru with a hand extended. "That was a great battle, man." Karitoru looked at Stephen's hand before smiling and accepting the handshake.

"Yeah, but that's definitely the only time you'll beat me," he teased. Stephen laughed as Professor Birch and Alaina approached them.

"That was a great battle!" Birch said with a smile. "What grade are you two in?"

"We're freshmen" Karitoru responded.

"You'll both be excellent trainers in no time!"

"You really think so?" Karitoru asked.

"I don't just think it, I know it. Now, both of you should get your pokemon to the nearest Pokemon Center. I think there's one in the Student Center."

"Will do, professor" Stephen responded.

"And thank you again for the pokemon" Alaina added.

Birch closed his briefcase and responded, "I'm glad I gave them to you." With that, Karitoru and the others said goodbye and went to the nearest Pokemon Center. Professor Birch watched the three students, and thought to himself, _Boy do they remind me of you three, especially you, son_.

**Well how was that? I know it was relatively short, but I feel like a lot of these upcoming chapters should be around this length. Anyway, I'm still accepting OCs, the application is on both Chapter 7 and Chapter 12 and you can always PM for it if you are interested in creating a character and seeing it here. If there is ever anything you guys would like to see in the story in general or a battle between two characters that you are anticipating, leave them in the reviews. Now, let's get down to what you guys really came to read, the QOTD.**

**QOTD: What is your favorite gym leader?**

**If you guys ever have a QOTD or POTD, write them in the reviews or PM me and you could see them in one of my author's notes. See you guys later! Legacy, out!**


	15. Chapter 15: Planning

**How's it going everyone?! I'm back with a new chapter for you guys! So I read the reviews and I liked seeing everyone's reactions to Team Plasma.**

**SanguineRose123: Maybe. I'm considering it.**

**So for last chapter's QOTD, the winner is Volkner…by a landslide. So here's a shout out to those of you who voted Volkner: reven228, Black Falcoln, Red Alfa, 1crazyshadow, Ultimate Glaceon456. He's my favorite too, btw. Anyway, let's get on with this chapter!**

**Chapter 15: Planning**

Cynthia sat at her desk drinking slowly from her thermos. Green tea was her favorite so every morning, she would make some and fill her thermos before leaving her villa on the island and driving to work. When she finished drinking, she set the thermos on her desk and faced the three students sitting in front of her. Professor Birch had just finished explaining what had happened the day before to Cynthia and Officer Jenny—who was taking careful descriptions of the perpetrators. The policewoman was of average height with fair skin, short blue hair, and auburn eyes and she wore a beige police uniform.

Alaina felt uncomfortable in such a serious atmosphere so she crossed her ankles, putting one leg on top of the other and switching them, to distract herself. She couldn't help but try to find a way to keep calm. Stephen was sitting down with his arms crossed, listening to music as always, not really affected by what was going on. Karitoru had his elbow on the arm of the chair he was sitting in and his head rested on the palm of his hand. Despite not having to be in Professor Ivy's class, this was not much of an improvement especially with the police questioning him and his friends.

Everyone in the room looked at Cynthia, waiting for her to say something. She looked at the three teenagers and said, "Can you tell me again what they called themselves?"

"Team Plasma," Karitoru replied.

She was silent for a moment before saying, "And their goal is to free all pokemon, correct?" Karitoru simply nodded. She turned to Officer Jenny and said, "Can you keep an eye out for anyone wearing those uniforms or anything with that insignia? And can you keep your ears open for any talk of 'liberating pokemon?'"

She nodded, "Will do. We will capture those thieves."

Cynthia had a gentle smile as she responded, "Thank you." After Officer Jenny responded, she turned to her students and her smile faded into a calm expression as she asked, "I'd like to thank you three for protecting Professor Birch's pokemon. The fact that you saw someone in trouble and jumped in without a second thought shows compassion and bravery. Now that Team Plasma has been discovered, I'm sure they will lay low for a while so until then, I'd like you three to stay vigilant. On Friday, I will make an announcement during the Battle Set to let all students and faculty know about them so that if anyone sees Team Plasma anywhere on this campus or this island, they will be found." She smiled again as she reached for a stack of hall passes and began writing, "Now I think that I've taken enough time out of your learning. I'll write you each hall passes to give to your teacher."

* * *

"Guyyyyys!" Skyla complained. "I don't know what to get him for his birthday!"

It was lunch time when Skyla sat at a table outside of the Raticafé with Elesa, Brendan, and May. Brendan was sitting with his arm around his girlfriend while drinking his iced coffee through a straw. May was stirring her caramel Frappuccino with her straw while Elesa sat across the table from them texting.

The pale skinned blonde looked up from her Pokegear screen at her friend who was standing in front of her, looking right at her with her big blue eyes. "Just get him something he likes," Elesa responded indifferently.

"I want to get him something he'll absolutely love!" She turned to Brendan and asked, "You're his friend, what are you getting him?"

"I just got him a pair of shorts and a couple T-shirts" Brendan responded.

"That's not helping?!"

The boy responded, "Shopping for a guy is easy and are you forgetting that it's Eric? The dude likes to keep it simple."

"Are you still throwing him the surprise party?" May asked.

Skyla finally took a seat as she sighed, "Yeah…that's kind of the reason why I forgot to get him a present until now."

May put a hand on her friend's shoulder and said, "I know you want to get him something extremely special but I'm sure he'll like anything you get him."

"I know, I know." The red-head turned to her best friend and asked, "What are you getting him, Elesa?"

The blonde girl looked through her bag until she pulled out a white box with the picture of an Xtransceiver on the cover. "This." The others got close to her to examine her gift.

"You got him the Xtransceiver 5s?!" Brendan asked looking up.

"See!" Skyla said pointing to the device, "I have to get him something he'll love like that!"

Elesa put her gift away and said, "Skyla, I give _everyone_ pricy gifts. Why don't you make him something?"

"Because she has the artistic skills of a Muk" Brendan commented.

Skyla looked at May and asked, "Can I?"

May looked at her boyfriend then back at her friend and cheerfully said, "Mhm!"

"Babe!" Brendan whined to May before Skyla smacked him upside the head.

While Brendan rubbed his head, Skyla saw two familiar faces walking by from a distance. "Hey guys, I'll be right back" she said before leaving. Across the lawn were Mark and Alex walking towards the dining hall. "Hey guys!" They turned to find Skyla running towards them which made them question why she was approaching them. This was the first time Skyla had ever talked to them without Eric around.

"Hey" Mark said, slightly confused.

"Hey Eric's birthday is coming up, are you planning anything for him?" she asked Mark.

"You mean like a party? No, I just got him a present."

"What did you get him?" Skyla asked.

"I got him a new hoodie in town this past weekend. Why?"

"I can't think of what to get him. Do you guys have any ideas?"

"Just get him something he likes or that he'll use" Mark responded.

_Why does everyone keep saying that?!_ Skyla thought. "I want to get him something really special though."

Mark thought for a second before replying, "Well I mean pokemon training is his life. Maybe a new holster for his pokeballs or some Pokemon Pro League Trading Cards or something."

"Why not a keychain of a pokemon?" Alex asked.

Skyla didn't like any of those ideas. She wasn't going for anything fancy like Elesa's gift because she was on a budget but she didn't want something so trivial and as much as she hated to admit it, Brendan was right about her artistic skills so making something for Eric was out of the question. "I'm just not feeling any of those. I guess I'll just have to go into town today to see if I can find something."

"Okay, let us know how it goes" Mark responded.

"Oh! And before I forget, I'm throwing him a surprise party on Thursday and you guys can come. It's going to be on the roof of the Weather Dorm at six in the afternoon. I'm going to keep him busy so if you guys can, can you come after school to help Elesa and the others out with the tables and everything?"

"Sure, do we have to bring anything?" Mark asked.

"No, we've got someone bringing the cake, we're going to have some pizza delivered, and we're getting all of the chairs and tables from storage. I guess you can bring some chips or some sodas."

"Okay, you can count on us!" Alex said as he gave her one of his goofy smiles and a thumbs up.

She smiled, "Alright, thanks guys. I'll see you later!" With that, the red-head returned to her friends.

* * *

After school, the sun was setting as Alex and Dawn sat at a bench underneath a shady tree playing with a deck of cards. "Okay, so how does this game work again?" Dawn asked as the emerald-eyed boy shuffled the deck and started distributing the cards evenly between the two. Pikachu was sitting comfortably on the table watching as his trainer distributed the cards.

"So this game is called War. We each have twenty-six cards and the point is for one of us to get all of the cards."

"And how do we do that?"

"So without looking at our cards, we each reveal one card at random and the one with the card with the higher value gets to keep both cards."

"Okay, sounds simple enough. Let's get started!" she responded enthusiastically.

"Okay. One, two, three!" They both flipped the top card of their decks for the other to see. Alex revealed a seven of hearts while Dawn revealed the jack of spades.

"Wait, so I get both cards right?" Dawn asked for clarification.

"Yup" Alex responded. "Keep it in a separate pile from the cards you already have. Ready for the next one?" She nodded cheerfully. "Go!" They flipped the top card again but this time Alex won with an eight of diamonds against Dawn's two of hearts. The third time, they were met with a tie between Alex's four of hearts and Dawn's four of clovers.

"So what happens now?" Dawn asked.

"Okay so now, we each place two cards from our decks facedown and then a third one face up and whoever has the highest value for the last card gets all of the cards. And when you place the cards you say 'I declare war.'" He demonstrated and Dawn mimicked, but lost because her nine of spades had less value than his queen of hearts. "So now I get all the cards."

"Aw" Dawn said. The two continued playing the game until Dawn had gotten all fifty-two cards. "Yay!"

Alex laughed, "See, you got the hang of it."

"Okay, let's play again!" she said happily.

"Pika, pi!"

"You want to play too, buddy?" The little yellow mouse nodded with a cheerful smile and Alex redistributed the cards again, leaving any remainders in the middle. The three played until surprisingly, Pikachu managed to defeat the two trainers.

"Pi! Pikachu!" he said happily, making Alex and Dawn laugh.

"Hey Alex," Dawn started. He turned as she continued, "How come you don't keep Pikachu in his pokeball?"

"Pikachu doesn't like being in his pokeball. When I first caught him, he shook the pokeball from inside because he wanted to get out."

"Aw, isn't that just adorable" she said. "Hmm, maybe my Pokemon would like to be outside to." She reached into her bag and pulled out a pokeball before tossing it in the air to reveal a little blue penguin.

"Piplup!" it said cheerfully.

"Whoa what pokemon is this?" Alex asked as he examined it.

"This is Piplup. He's the first pokemon I caught."

"So you got this little guy in the enclosure?" She nodded. "Well hey there, it's nice to meet you," Alex said as he reached a hand out before him.

"Pi? Piplup!" It responded as it reached out a flipper so they could shake.

"This is my partner, Pikachu."

"Pika!" The two pokemon shook paw and flipper and started playing on the grass as the owners watched.

"Hey Alex…" Dawn started again.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you come to this school?"

"That's easy, I want to be an awesome trainer so that I can challenge the Indigo Plateau back in Kanto and become the Master Champion."

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"What about you? Why did you come here?"

"I'm in the Coordinator Program here."

"Coordinator Program?"

"Yeah! It's basically the same as the Trainer Program that you're in but instead of Battling Class, I have Coordinating Class. My mom used to be a coordinator and the academy has been asking her to work here. She didn't want to because no one would be able to take care of me back home but when I finished middle school, she took the job offer so I could come here."

"Whoa! Is she the Coordinating teacher?"

"Mhm!"

"Does she keep an eye on you in class?"

"Well yeah because she's a mom but I mean she's not just focusing on me. In class, she'll treat me like every other student. Before we came to the island, she told me I could call her whatever I felt like in class but I just call her Ms. Platinum. And at home, it's mom."

"Do you stay with her?"

"No, I live on campus but during the weekends, I stay with her in her apartment in West Newport."

"So what exactly is a coordinator?"

"Well…let me see how I can explain this…Okay! So you know how trainers battle against other trainers and the whole point of the battle is to knock out all of your opponent's pokemon?"

"Uhuh?"

"Well coordinators participate in pokemon contests and there are two parts. The first part is basically the coordinator displaying their pokemon's moves in creative ways to impress the judges. The second part is the Battle Round which is a pokemon battle but there's a twist. We have to continue showing off our pokemon's beauty and skill. It's not just about knocking our opponent out."

"Whoa that's awesome!" Alex responded.

Dawn smiled and after a moment, said, "Hey, I've got to get some homework done for Professor Rowan tomorrow."

"Yeah, same here. Want me to walk you to your dorm?"

"Sure!" Pikachu jumped onto Alex's shoulder and he collected his cards while Dawn picked up her Piplup, holding him in her arms as they walked. When they arrived outside, Dawn's door, the sun was already gone and the only light came from the dorms and the light poles.

"Hey Dawn, me and my friends are going to grab a bunch of snacks and drinks for tomorrow's battle and we're watching it on the big screen in the Tao Dorm lounge. Want to come?"

"Sure!" she said cheerfully. "I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

"Alright, good night" he said as she opened the glass door.

"Good night!" she responded before walking in the building. With that, Alex went back to his own dorm.

**I'm sorry guys, I know not a lot happened in this chapter, but I needed it as a transition into the next few chapters. So I am still accepting OCs, ****the application is on both Chapter 7 and Chapter 12 and you can always PM for it if you are interested in creating a character and seeing it here. If there is ever anything you guys would like to see in the story in general or a battle between two characters that you are anticipating, leave them in the reviews.**

**So last chapter's QOTD was what your favorite gym leader was. This chapter's QOTD is: What's your favorite Elite Four Member?**

**Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter, and I'll see you all soon! Legacy, out!**


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